Lawyer: Allegations are scandalous
KOTA KINABALU: Former Sabah chief minister Tan Sri Musa Aman, who is the target of a RM872mil suit by Yayasan Sabah has denied any wrongdoing when he was in charge of the foundation, says his lawyer.
“Tan Sri Musa denies he has ever breached any of his fiduciary duties as Yayasan Sabah chairman, and the allegations made against him today (Friday) are scandalous and utterly false,” lawyer Tengku Fuad Ahmad said in a statement yesterday.
Tengku Fuad said neither Musa nor him had been served the legal papers of the suit that was reportedly filed via e-filing at the Kota Kinabalu High Court on Tuesday.
Earlier yesterday, Yayasan Sabah director Datuk Jamalul Kiram Mohd Zakaria said the foundation’s board had decided to file the suit against Musa to recover monies linked to extraction of timber belonging to the state’s largest concession holder,
It is highly suspicious to learn of Yayasan Sabah’s alleged suit through the media.
Tengku Fuad Ahmad
Yayasan Sabah, from 2003 to 2018, when Musa was chairman of the foundation.
“It is highly suspicious, irregular and improper to learn of Yayasan Sabah’s alleged suit through a press release and the media. Normally, when you commence a suit, the claim and cause papers are served on the defendant or his lawyer,” said Tengku Fuad.
“In this case, neither Tan Sri Musa nor I have been served with any papers whatsoever. This is peculiar because surely it is not hard to find my office or Tan Sri’s house.
“The most likely explanation as to why we are hearing about this through the press is that this so-called suit is nothing more than a politically motivated publicity stunt, designed to distract and mislead the public,” he said.
Tengku Fuad added that they would respond once they received the papers.