Shafie cleared and vindicated

CM to return funds to state as AGC drops RM1.5bil probe

KOTA KINABALU: Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal feels vindicated with the decision of the Attorney General’s Chambers not to pursue the alleged RM1.5bil siphoning of federal funds meant for Sabah due to insufficient evidence.

Describing the probe as a politically motivated investigation against him by the previous Barisan Nasional-led government, Shafie said the decision by the AG not to pursue the case vindicated him and Parti Warisan Sabah’s stand against corruption and abuse of power.

“Today’s (Tuesday) decision announced in Parliament vindicates us (Warisan) and what we have been standing up for, and we will continue to expose the wrongdoings of the previous government to ensure that whatever wealth of the state that has gone into the wrong accounts will be returned and that all government funds, from now on, be used properly for the people of the state," Shafie said in a statement.

His statement comes after Parliament was told that the prosecution was taking no further action on the case of alleged misappropriation of funds from the Rural and Regional Development Minister when Shafie headed the ministry between 2009 and 2005.

On Tuesday, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk V.K. Liew told Parliament that MACC had submitted its investigation paper in relation to the case to the AGC which has since closed the file on Shafie as there was no case.

Shafie was among 13 people including senior Warisan leaders arrested and remanded during the investigations into the alleged siphoning of federal funds meant for Sabah’s rural development.

We will continue to expose the wrongdoings of the previous government. Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal