PUTRAJAYA - Malaysia's Transport Ministry has cancelled a writing contract worth RM808,000 (S$270,000) that was awarded in January to Pemandu Associates, a company helmed by former minister Idris Jala, reported news site The Malay Mail.

The firm was meant to help the transport minister under the previous administration to write weekly articles for a newspaper, said current Transport Minister Anthony Loke on Tuesday (June 12).

"The previous transport minister had a weekly column in The Star newspapers, and this was one of the company's roles. The value of the column is RM808,000 for a seven-month contract, and I have ordered the ministry to cancel the allocation and contract," he said, as quoted by the news site.

Datuk Seri Idris was formerly a minister in the Prime Minister's Department under the previous Najib Razak administration.

Mr Loke clarified that no money had been paid to the company.

However he noted: "The discovery of this contract shows the unnecessary expenditure by the previous government."