RM1.5b SIPHONED OFF
INVESTIGATORS probing the misappropriation of government funds by senior officials at the Rural and Regional Development Ministry in Sabah delivered a bombshell yesterday. Of the RM7.5 billion that had been allocated for projects to uplift the poor, a sta
MACC SAYS THIS HAD BEEN GOING ON FOR 6 YEARS, BET WEEN 2010 AND 2015
FORMER MINISTER SHAFIE APDAL DENIES INVOLVEMENT, SAYS HE IS WILLING TO COOPERATE
MORE THAN 60 COMPANIES ARE BEING INVESTIGATED
ZAHID: ARRESTS, PROBE NOT POLITICALLY MOTIVATED
FORMER rural and regional development minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal rubbished claims that he had links to several companies being probed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for graft.
The Semporna member of parliament said he was prepared to assist the commission in its graft probe involving the ministry he formerly headed.
When he headed the ministry between 2009 and 2015, Shafie said, it had achieved excellent performance.
“We don’t want to fabricate stories,” he said, claiming that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had extended congratulations on the key performance indicators that he had shown based on performance assessments for 2009, 2012 and 2013.
“(So), not that we didn’t perform, we performed, and these are all facts. In my ministry, we assisted the hardcore poor and rural people. (The funds) are not for us to take and put in our own account.
“We are not telling lies. Don’t tell me all these companies (probed by MACC) belonged to me. Come on. It’s not right to fabricate stories,” he said at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport here yesterday.
Shafie questioned why there was no investigation carried out prior to him leaving his ministerial post.
“When I was in the government, the performance was good. Now that I am out of the government, I did something wrong. Over the years, why was there nothing wrong?
“However, what’s important now is that we will facilitate the investigations. I hope all our supporters will remain calm,” said the Parti Warisan Sabah president.
Shafie also said MACC had yet to contact him over its probe, adding that it was up to the graftbusters to call him.
The New Straits Times had exposed that MACC was investigating the embezzlement of government funds in an exclusive report on Wednesday.
The newspaper revealed that the graftbusters were investigating a number of companies along with several senior officials of a ministry for siphoning off no less than RM100 million meant for initiatives and programmes for the rakyat, including the hardcore poor.
On Thursday, MACC detained three individuals, including Shafie’s vice-president, Datuk Peter Anthony, to facilitate investigations into the mishandling of federal funds in Sabah.
The arrest came after MACC swooped in on 15 locations in Sabah and froze bank accounts containing more than RM150 million. Another 10 bank accounts containing RM29 million were frozen on Thursday.
It was reported that MACC investigators also confiscated documents and financial statements from several companies, and cash in various denominations.