Corruption scandal, boat tragedy rock Sabah
THE catamaran boat tragedy, the arrest of politicians over alleged siphoning of RM1.5 billion in federal funds for rural projects in Sabah and the seizure of RM13.5 million from a spa were among the top cases that rocked Sabah in 2017.
Eight people, including seven tourists from China, lost their lives after a catamaran they boarded with 20 other tourists and crewmen capsized off Pulau Mengalum on the first day of Chinese New Year on Jan 28.
The boat which was ferrying 28 tourists and three crewmen left a jetty in Tanjung Aru at around 9am on Jan 28 to Mengalum Island. It was scheduled to arrive at Mengalum Island some two hours later but never made it as it was hit by strong waves due to bad weather some eight nautical miles.
The boat skipper and a crewman were rescued by fishermen off Kudat the following morning and the incident was immediately related to the authority.
A search and rescue (SAR) operation was immediately launched which involved the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), the Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysian Police Air Wing Unit.
The SAR team managed to rescue 20 of the tourists, but found three dead bodies while five people, including a 10-yearold child and a second crewmen, were never found.
The SAR operation was divided into five sectors, namely Sector A, B, C, Dan dE, was also extended into the waters of Miri in Sarawak.
A week into the tragedy, the SAR team found a woman’s body stuck in a fishing net belonging to a local fishing crew near Semarang areas around 9.25am on February 4.
The body was found about eight nautical miles southwest of Pulau Mengalum, 13 nautical miles north east of the last known position of the fatal incident, and 20 nautical miles to the west of Pulau Tiga.
The SAR team also found five orange life jackets on January 31, February 1, February 4, February 7 and February 9 but none belonged to the ill-fated catamaran.
The catamaran tragedy was considered to be one of the longest search and rescue operations in the history of maritime in Malaysia, spanning 126 days. It was finally called off at 9.20am on June 2, 2017. Lahad Datu kidnapping
Five Malaysians who were abducted by Abu Sayyaf in the waters of Dent Havent, Lahad Datu since July last year, were finally released after being held captive for eight months.
Abdul Rahim Summas, 62, Tayuddin Anjut, 45, Mohd Ridzuan Ismail, 32, Fandy Bakran, 26, and Mohd Zumadil Rahim, 23, were abducted while on their way to Semporna after sending sand to Sandakan.
The incident was first realized when security forces found an empty and abandoned tugboat near Dent Havent in Lahad Datu on July 18, 2016.
Following continuous negotiations by the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) and their Philippine counterparts, the five men were finally released somewhere in March this year.
Tayudin and Abdul Rahim were found on a boat adrift off the southern Philippines on Thursday, March 23, while Jumadil, Mohd Ridzuan and Fandy were believed released by their captors on March 27. Damai Hostage
A local woman was forced to endure two hours of fright when she was held at knife point by her captor along Jalan Damai in Kota Kinabalu on May 10.
The 7.30pm incident happened in full view of the public who saw a shirtless man dragging his hostage by the neck with a sixinch knife while warning police not to come close.
Police investigation revealed that prior to the incident the suspect had initially entered a house at Taman Istimewa in a burglary attempt, but failed when the house owner’s shouts prompted the suspect to flee to a neighbour’s house.
The suspect then grabbed the woman and took her hostage as police arrived at the scene.
He dragged the woman some 1.5 km away from the house towards Jalan Damai while repeatedly threatening to slit her throat if police came any closer.
Police condoned off both ends of the Damai road as they continued to negotiate with the suspect to let the woman free and surrender.
During the two-hour negotiation, police managed to persuade the man to let some police personnel posing as paramedics to examine the victim before immediately overpowering the suspect.
The woman, in her 20s, only sustained minor injury and was immediately taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital II for treatment, while the 27-yearold suspect was charged with kidnapping and murder attempt under Section 3 of the Kidnapping Act 1961 and Section 307 of the Penal Code respectively. Political leaders detained
Thirteen people, including several politicians, were detained by the Malaysia AntiCorruption Commission (MACC) for investigation into the alleged siphoning of federal funds worth RM1.5 billion for rural projects in Sabah since 2009.
The politicians were Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, Warisan vicepresident Datuk Peter Anthony, Warisan Youth chief Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman, Tenom Umno Youth chief Jamawi Jaafar, Tawau Umno Youth chief Ariffin Kassim, Shafie’s younger brothers, Hamid Apdal and Lahad Datu assemblyman Datuk Yusof Apdal, as well as Hamid’s sonin-law Manzur Hussein Awal Khan.
A Sabah-based construction company owner, a former deputy secretary from the ministry, a water engineer and Warisan Putatan secretary Amarjit Singh and Shafie’s former private secretary Izhar Idrus and press secretary Zamri Maulan were also arrested by MACC.
On October 5, MACC detained Anthony together with a 52year-old company director and a 40-year-old former senior civil servant.
Five days later, Azis, Jamawi and Ariffin were picked up by MACC for investigation.
Hamid and a 40-year-old former deputy under secretary (infrastructure) from the Rural and Regional Development Ministry were also detained by MACC, while Yusof was remanded on October 18.
They were all released after completing their remand order while Shafie was the last to be released after being held for eight days by MACC on October 27.
It is understood that MACC was investigating a major corruption scandal involving the Rural and Regional Development Ministry.
It is learned that funds that were meant to carry out projects, especially for rural community, were allegedly siphoned off by certain officers who were believed working in cahoots with several companies.
The projects were to improve amenities and infrastructure such as upgrading water and electricity supplies and road maintenance in hardcore poor areas.
It is also learned that one of the initiatives from the funds that had been siphoned was the Poor Students’ Food Programme.
The culprits were believed to have pocketed more than RM100 million.
MACC started tracking the perpetrators since last year, compiling enough evidence before they moved in on the officers and companies.
Shafie had repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or link with any companies MACC was investigating and believed the whole incident was politically motivated. RM13.5 million seized from spa
The Immigration Department in Sabah made one of the biggest raids in history when they discovered RM13.5 million of cash during an anti-vice raid at a spa hotel in Kota Kinabalu.
Immigration officers first discovered the cash during an operation, dubbed Ops Gegar, at the spa on November 24.
Four people, including a woman, in their 30s and 50s, were arrested in connection with the case.
Immigration officers also rescued 17 women, aged 20 and 40, comprising Filipinas and China nationalities, who were believed to be victims of a human trafficking syndicate.
The cash, totaling RM13,563,227.60 with some printed since 2008, were found inside drawers, on beds and boxes in a room of the spa while RM1.1 million was discovered from the 46-year-old woman’s apartment.
Investigation also revealed the spa has been in operation at the hotel since 1999, while modifications of the spa have been made believed for vice activity.
The department was currently investigating the case from numerous angles, including human trafficking, money laundering, prostitution and overstaying.