Yayasan Sabah sues Musa
State foundation files rM872mil suit against former CM
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has filed a RM872mil suit against Tan Sri Musa Aman to recover monies linked to the extraction of timber belonging to the state’s largest concession holder, Yayasan Sabah (Sabah Foundation).
The legal proceedings instituted by the Yayasan Sabah Board of Trustees, headed by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal, also seeks the return of US$90mil (RM385mil) that it claims was banked into a Swiss bank account in Zurich linked to Musa, among others, according to court papers filed on Tuesday.
The trustees are also seeking the recovery of US$42mil (about RM175mil) in timber monies, which they alleged Musa had directed to be given to Sabah Umno.
The foundation’s lawyer, Datuk Douglas Lind, said they filed the case via e-filing on Tuesday at the Kota Kinabalu High Court on behalf of Yayasan Sabah’s board of trustees and are in the process of serving it to Musa.
The suit comes in the wake of the federal Attorney General’s decision to drop all 46 charges of money laundering and corruption against Musa, involving a sum of RM400mil, allegedly committed during his term as Sabah chief minister.
At a press conference yesterday, Yayasan Sabah’s director Datuk Jamalul Kiram Mohd Zakaria said the foundation’s trustees believed the funds had gone missing due to dubious timber activities.
“We strongly believe the money belongs to Sabah Foundation,” Jamalul Kiram said.
He added that the foundation set up in 1966 was aimed at helping Sabah’s socio-economic, welfare and educational development.
“Musa had failed to carry out his fiduciary duty to protect the interests of the foundation in his role as the chairman of the board,” he told reporters with Lind present.
He said there was reason for the foundation to believe that Musa had used his position to direct Yayasan Sabah subsidiary, Rakyat Berjaya Sdn Bhd, on timber deals.
In court documents filed, a lawyer and businessman who were used in the transactions were also mentioned in court papers.
“Some of the monies being sought was linked to the dropped cases against Musa.
“There are other non-related claims,” Jamalul Kiram said.
Lind said the trustees believed they have a strong case, otherwise they would not have filed the suit.