KUALA LUMPUR (Oct 19): A bipartisan parliamentary committee will investigate Sabah’s side of the long-delayed Pan Borneo Highway project highlighted in the latest Auditor General’s Report.

The issues went beyond ordinary construction delays, raising questions about governance and accountability in the management of public funds, said Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin, chairperson of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

The delays deprive Sabah road users of safer connectivity and access, while also having a knock-on effect on the next two phases, which cannot begin until the first phase is completed, she said.

The 706km project connecting Sabah, Sarawak and Brunei officially began construction in 2016 and was originally scheduled to be completed within 69 months.

However, only four of its 35 work packages have been completed, even as more than RM10 billion have been spent on the project that has received government allocations of RM11.15 billion up until March 31, 2026.

Sarawak’s side of the project has been completed despite starting at around the same time as the Sabah project. The completion deadline has since been extended to 2030, while the project’s total contract cost has risen to RM18.394 billion from RM17.91 billion.

Mas Ermieyati said the Public Accounts Committee will summon witnesses from the Works Ministry, the Public Works Department, as well as other relevant agencies and parties to give evidence during its proceedings.

The committee will also examine how the shortcomings occurred despite various monitoring committees being established at the state and federal levels, including whether the existing oversight mechanisms were adequate in approving payments that did not correspond with physical progress on the ground, she noted.

If the proceedings uncover indications of misconduct, corruption or abuse of power, the PAC will refer its findings to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Royal Malaysian Police for further investigation, she added.

An Auditor-General report released earlier this month also found 57 variation orders worth RM513.99 million approved beyond authorised limits without the required approvals, while RM163.64 million in interim payments were made to contractors and consultants without formal contracts.

In addition, the projected cost of 15 work packages under Phase 1A rose by RM987 million to RM11.323 billion, exceeding the original cost ceiling of RM10.336 billion.

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