Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman has been urged to respond to claims by Filipino officials that he had interfered in the repatriation of Philippine's most wanted conman.

PKR deputy president Azmin Ali said the matter was of public interest and the chief minister must respond because his credibility was at stake.

NONE "Musa must come clean on whether there is any truth in the suggestion that the conman Manuel Karingal Amalilio ( left ) was also his nephew.

"Likewise, did he or did he not have anything to do with the decision by the police to intervene in his deportation?

"Let us remind Musa that (his) elegant silence in this regard may be interpreted as admission of guilt considering that lately he has been very vocal in the press (on other issues)," said Azmin yesterday.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim called on the police chief to heed Manila's request and help bring the suspect to justice.

"Due process must be observed and Amalilio must be given a fair trial," he said in a statement yesterday.

"The Malaysian police must act in accordance with the law and must not be seen to be taking orders from political masters. The idea that our law enforcers are party to any act or conspiracy to harbour criminals is absolutely repugnant and scandalous."

Last Friday, Philippine Interior Secretary Mar Roxas accused Musa of blocking attempts to deport Amalilio.

Amalilio is wanted by Manila for cheating over 15,000 people of 12 billion pesos (RM895 million). Philippine President Benigno S Aquino III has vowed to bring Amalilio to justice.

No extradition treaty

According to Philippine Justice Secretary Leila de Lima, Amalilio was whisked away by the Malaysian authorities 10 minutes before he was to board a flight to the Philippines.

NONE Four of Philippine's National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) agents were accompanying Amalilio at the time. They were not given a "clear and acceptable" reason for the intervention, said de Lima ( left ).

Sabah police chief Hamza Taib has denied claims that Amalilio is linked to Musa and explained that the deportation was stopped because procedures were not followed.

He also claimed that the Philippine authorities did not make a request for Amalilio's deportation. There is no extradition treaty between Malaysia and Philippines and thus any request for extradition is non-binding.

According to The Star , Amalilio was arrested in Ranau, Sabah last Thursday for allegedly holding a fake Philippines passport.

Amalilio is also claiming to be a Malaysian citizen, but Manila has argued that this was inconsequential because NBI agents had brought documents, including a birth certificate, to prove that the suspect was indeed a Filipino.

Media blackout

In the latest development, Philippine authorities would keep mum on the tug-of-war with the Malaysian authorities to avoid compromising attempts to have Amalilio repatriated.

According to the Manila Standard Today , de Lima said that media reports in Kota Kinabalu had attributed to the current situation.

"I think the media reporting - especially in Kota Kinabalu - contributed to what happened. That's our assessment.

"Now, we prefer to be on the safe side and be cautious. Let's not report on it for a while in order to facilitate the process," she was quoted saying.

Meanwhile, spokesperson for the Filipino president Edwin Lacierda said that it was "not good" for Philippines to be "telegraphing" their every move.

"I suppose it is prudent for us to not disclose every step of an operation."