Sabah works ministry to give written reply on efforts to retrieve 'watergate' money

KOTA KINABALU: The State Works ministry has promised a written answer to a question on what efforts were being done to retrieve millions of Ringgit seized during a raid at the former Sabah Water Department Director's house in 2016.

Assistant Works minister Datuk Limus Jury said he would provide a written answer to the supplementary question posted by Senallang assemblyman Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal at the State Assembly meeting question and answer session on Monday (July 18).

He said the case was still being heard in court, and it was not right for him to answer at that moment.

Shafie had asked what the state government’s efforts were to retrieve the millions of Ringgit seized to channel back to the Water Department so that the money could be used to upgrade and provide better water supply to people in Sabah.

This came after another assistant works minister Datuk Robert Tawik read out the reply to a question on what were the ongoing projects to upgrade Sabah’s constant water supply disruption woes including in areas like Ranau.

Shafie said if the former prime minister (Datuk Seri Najib Razak) could get the court to give back the millions seized although the 1MDB trial was not over, the Sabah government should be able to file a similar appeal too.

The corruption case came to light after raids were made at the office and home of the Sabah Water Department director and his deputy on Oct 22, 2016.

Investigators allegedly found RM45mil in cash in the director’s house and some RM3mil at the office of the other.

There were also jewellery, designer handbags and other possessions seized from these raids.

It was reported earlier in the probe that graftbusters believed that the suspects were syphoning RM3.3bil funds meant for water projects in Sabah since 2010 through a network of companies linked to their families.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) have seized or frozen some RM114.5mil of cash, bank accounts, unit trusts and other assets within and outside the country.