Phee, accompanied by his lawyer Ramkarpal Singh, arrived at the MACC headquarters at 9.45am. Also seen with them was Phee’s daughter.
A spokesperson at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya, when contacted, said they were not aware why Phee was called up again and would check on it.
On Aug 11, Phee, 66, was questioned by MACC for allegedly using his office or position for gratification under Section 23 of the MACC Act 2009. The Sungai Puyu assemblyman and two other men were arrested at the same time.
The other two men, a father and son aged 70 and 37, are the owners of the carbon filter factory which is alleged to have been operating illegally for more than 10 years.
The trio were remanded for five days but the order was revoked by the High Court which declared it illegal. The three arrested spent three days under remand.
However, the MACC kept Phee’s identity card and did not respond to calls by his lawyer to return it.
The factory in the MACC probe used the conventional method of burning sawdust to make activated carbon, a product used widely in air purifiers, water filters and air-conditioners.
Authorities launched a graft probe on the factory after it was revealed that the 5,000 sq metres factory in Kampung Sungai Lembu, Bukit Mertajam, did not have a proper emission control system.
The factory is located on hilly land in an oil palm estate, and is about 1km from the nearest residential area. The factory has since been shut down by the department of environment.
Reports say residents in the area had been complaining about the persistent polluted air, which made them fall sick, over the past 10 years.
The Penang government had said it was fully aware that the factory was illegal, but had chosen to help the factory legalise itself as it was built before 2008, when the state government was under the Barisan Nasional.