KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Lands and Surveys Department has clarified that no prospecting licence has been issued to Bumi Suria Sdn Bhd under the Sabah Mining Ordinance 1960.
Its director, Datuk Sr Bernard Liew Chau Min, who is also the Chief Mineral Officer of Sabah, said that any claims, promotions, or actions by parties suggesting the company has such a licence are baseless and not officially sanctioned by the state mining authority.
“All mineral prospecting activities in Sabah must first obtain valid licences issued under Sections 6 and 8 of the Sabah Mining Ordinance 1960 and must comply with all relevant technical and legal requirements,” he said in a statement on Thursday (July 24).
He stressed that the department took seriously any public statements made through any media platform that could potentially mislead the public.
The statement comes in response to recent allegations that a coal exploration licence spanning tens of thousands of hectares in Sabah had been approved for Bumi Suria Sdn Bhd, a company purportedly linked to politically connected individuals.
These claims, which circulated widely on social media and news platforms, have raised serious public concern over the transparency of mineral licence approvals and the integrity of the state’s resource governance.
