Former Sabah CM Shafie denies involvement in land deal controversy

KOTA KINABALU: Former chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has denied any involvement in the ongoing land deal issue which allegedly also has something to do with current Chief Minister, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

He said the recent news surrounding the Kudat land deal on Pulau Balambangan has sparked widespread public interest and discussion.

“It is worth noting that even though I am no longer the chief minister, my name has been wrongfully associated with this deal by various political leaders in Sabah,” he said in a statement.

“I want to make it clear that I categorically deny any involvement or wrongdoing in this case. As a result, I have taken legal measures to refute these baseless allegations,” Shafie said, adding that he has engaged a lawyer who has filed a lawsuit against those who have linked his name to this land deal.

A letter of demand has already been served to these individuals as well, he said.

Among those who linked Shafie with the land issue was Parti Gagasan Rakyat information chief Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, who claimed in a statement on Oct 9 that the allegations made in the "Edisi Panas Sabah" Facebook page were all baseless.

This page claimed that Hajiji had abused his power in the approval of a 968-ha land deal to a Sarawak businessman in Pulau Balambangan.

Nizam said that the images used in the postings tried to arouse suspicion by implying that the Sarawakian businessman concerned had a close relationship with Hajiji.

"But the (same) businessman was also seen previously (in other social media posts) to be close to former chief minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (the Parti Warisan president)," he said.