KOTA KINABALU: With senior leaders in Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) embroiled in a controversy over allegations of corruption caught on camera, the Chief Minister has called on graft busters to step in and investigate.
Urging the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to thoroughly investigate the graft allegations, Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor (pic) however felt that it was the businessman who made the accusation who should be arrested first.
“To be fair, it is my opinion that they (MACC) arrest and investigate him first,” Hajiji said yesterday when asked by reporters about the bribery allegations which also implicate senior ministers in his Cabinet.
The Chief Minister said the state government and he had nothing to hide, saying the GRS was prepared to fully cooperate with the authorities.
Hajiji said it was business as usual for the coalition despite the swirling allegations.
“We are okay... we are the government and still running smoothly. These are just accusations, report them to the MACC,” the GRS chairman said after attending a groundbreaking event for a new 100MW power plant in Kimanis, about 60km from here.A businessman, who remains anonymous, has claimed to possess secret video recordings of alleged bribery deals involving senior leaders of a state.
Through his lawyers, he alleged that he paid millions of ringgit to secure a project and is seeking whistleblower protection from the MACC.
On Saturday, MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said the businessman had yet to make a formal report. He said the MACC needed to verify the validity of his claims and videos before considering any whistleblower status.
An audio recording purportedly discussing cash payments between the whistleblower and a GRS assemblyman said to Sindumin assemblyman Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob emerged on social media late on Monday night.
When contacted, Dr Yusof, who is the chairman of Qhazanah Sabah Bhd, dismissed the corruption allegations and said he left it to the MACC to investigate fully.
“I am not a corrupt person. I don’t do anything involving corruption. I believe this is being manipulated to implicate me and undermine my political career.
“Let the MACC investigate. I don’t know who is behind it,” he added.
Joining the call for a full MACC probe is Parti Warisan’s Merotai assemblyman Sarifuddin Hata, who said the recordings raised serious questions about the integrity of national institutions and public trust in the government.
He said Malaysians deserved to know the truth and urged the MACC to ensure transparency in its investigation into the alleged large-scale corruption.
“Given the significant implications of these allegations, I urge the MACC to promptly conduct a transparent and thorough investigation to determine the video’s authenticity and identify those involved in illegal activities.
“I also call upon any individual with information related to this scandal to come forward and assist the MACC in its investigation.
“Public trust in our institutions depends on the authorities’ commitment to take firm action on issues of this nature,” Sarifuddin said in a statement yesterday.
Since the businessman sought MACC whistleblower status on Oct 30, social media has been abuzz with at least a dozen secret videos he allegedly took involving state officials.
The businessman, believed to be linked to a mining company, is allegedly asking for the return of payments he made for a project he did not secure, according to several sources aware of the issue. The amounts varied from RM100,000 up to RM4mil in payments, according to a news portal report.
The businessman, through his lawyer, is said to have approached the news portal to highlight the issue after his lawyers sought whistleblower protection from the MACC.
