Warisan leader questioned
KOTA KINABALU: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) last night called up another Parti Warisan Sabah leader for questioning into the alleged misappropriation of rural infrastructure development funds in Sabah.
Warisan Youth chief Dato Azis Jamman left the MACC office after questioning for less than 15 minutes and asked to present himself again at 10.30am today.
Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking disclosed on his Facebook account that Azis had been called up to the MACC office at 9pm and the news went viral last night.
“No humanity as even this Sunday evening these people detain people! Lawan tetap Lawan!” said the Penampang member of parliament.
He also said that what happened was nothing new as it was ‘BN’s script’ which he and other PKR leaders had gone through when he was a member of the party.
Warisan secretary general Loretto Padua Jr said that most of the party’s top leaders were at the MACC office to give support to Azis. MACC officials could not be reached for comment.
The MACC has arrested three people, including Warisan vicepresident Datuk Peter Anthony, who is a close ally of party president Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal. Peter and a 52-year-old businessman have been remanded for five days in the investigation into the alleged siphoning of funds meant for rural projects in Sabah.
A 40-year-old former deputy under secretary (infrastructure) from the Rural and Regional Development Ministry was also detained in Putrajaya over the case and remanded for six days until October 11.
Aziz, a former Semporna Umno youth chief, left the party in 2015 to join Shafie when he quit Umno to form Warisan.
MACC is investigating how RM1.5 billion was siphoned from a total of RM7.5 billion funds allocated for rural projects in Sabah over the past six years.
Its deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Azam Baki said they were investigating some 60 companies that were awarded projects for the supply of water, electricity and roads to help people in rural Sabah.
National Umno Youth Exco member Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali said the arrest and investigation by MACC involving several individuals on the misappropriation of rural infrastructure development funds in Sabah should be welcomed instead of being deflected through various statements based on witch hunt and occupational hazard theories.
He said the move by the MACC had long been expected and should be supported because many stories had been heard since 2010 when the National Key Result Area (NKRA) (Rural) was alleged to have been abused by a federal ministry which resulted in the projects purportedly being delayed, uncompleted and also reported to be ready but could not be used.
“What is a bigger and more important issue is that it involved a very significant public fund. We frequently point our fingers at the Federal Government with our allegation that Sabah is neglected.
“We are thankful when millions of ringgit are channeled by the Federal Government for the people of Sabah through one of the main focus of Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Razak, the Malaysian prime minister, beginning 2010 under the NKRA Rural Development agenda.
“It’s most unfortunate that the fund, channelled through a federal ministry, was not looked after in a trustworthy and responsible manner,” he said in a statement yesterday.
It was more unfortunate, said Amrizan, who is also Papar Umno Youth head, that the misappropriation was alleged to have involved individuals who were the people of Sabah themselves and the total misappropriation investigated was very considerable reaching about a billion ringgit.
Meanwhile, Parti Kerjasama Anak Negeri claims that Sabah has become the hotbed of corruption scandals unprecedented in the political history of Sabah.
“Corruption cases are exploding on people’s faces to bring shame and inflict deep injury to their pride,” said its president, Datuk Henrynus Aminin, in a statement yesterday.
High-level corruption unfolding before the people’s eyes are only the tip of an iceberg, he said.
“The corrosive effects of corruption weakened the moral fabric of the society and erode public confidence in our democratic system.
“MACC must investigate not only former Barisan Nasional leaders turned opposition but also those still in power who hung to their position for too long for pecuniary gains,” he stressed.