BY BORNEOTODAY REPORTERS
KOTA KINABALU – The shocking bust of two top Sabah civil servants for massive corruption and money laundering by the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) has not gone unnoticed by independent MP, Darell Leiking
The Penampang lawmaker, while applauding the MACC over the arrest of two senior officers, and two others, demanded to know if the alleged corrupt acts involving these projects/contracts were part of the State Government’s decision.
He queried as to who had proposed or influenced their implementations, and if the MACC would look further up the gravy train, and demanding to know how this scandal was undetected all these years.
“The MACC should make public the corrupt acts by these individuals, and should at the same time conduct a thorough investigation on the many more reported alleged corrupt acts related to contracts which have been completed, or ongoing, all over Sabah,” he said.
On Wednesday, Sabah Water Department Director, Ag Mohd Tahir Mohd Talib, and his deputy, Teo Chee Kong, were remanded for a week to facilitate investigations into kick backs involving RM3.3bil worth of federal projects.
Magistrate Stephanie Sherron Abbie, also remanded a 55-year old Datuk, said to be the brother of the deputy director, as well as his 50-year old accountant.
The MACC had recorded one of its largest ever seizures, totalling RM112 million, following its probe on the four.
Leiking opined that if the alleged corrupt acts are related to any currently implemented projects, recently approved projects and/or planned and yet to be implemented projects, these projects would now be questionable and should put to scrutiny.
He also demanded to know whether the arrests are connected to any proposed, ongoing or approved projects such as the controversial Kaiduan Dam project in Papar.
He stressed that the MACC should come clean on this matter, in view of the fact that a certain officer from the same department have been rather vocal about pushing for the Kaiduan Dam.
“We do not know the specifics of the massive cost for the construction of the Kaiduan Dam, but the MACC should also take note that some officials from this Department were very vocal about pushing for the Dam,” he remarked.
Leiking also recalled that there had been complaints regarding the Sewerage System in Sabah, that the work done was allegedly shoddy, hence the horrible state of many manholes all over Sabah, in particular the West Coast.
He also urged the MACC to be brave in their investigation.
“And as a Member of Parliament, I do hope that legislation will someday come where MACC will be truly independent and will be able to prosecute without referring to any higher authorities, for permission,” he said.
“The MACC should only present and brief its investigation and its plan to prosecute (corrupt people) to a Parliamentary Select Committee/ Oversight Committee.
“With this I salute the work done and urge the MACC and its officials to continue the good work,” he added.
