Former rural and regional development minister Shafie Apdal is not connected to the investigations related to the arrest of Sabah state agency director and his deputy, which saw the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) seizing RM53 million in cash and other assets, amounting to more than RM100 million.

This was confirmed by a source familiar with the investigations.

"Nope. We have not found anything related to Shafie yet," he told Malaysiakini on condition of anonymity when asked if the former minister is connected to the matter.

Another source familiar with the investigations also revealed the same.

Several quarters have linked the case to Shafie, a former Umno vice-president, who is now in the midst of registering a new Sabah-based party after quitting the ruling coalition.

Two days ago, it was reported that Tenom MP Raime Unggi called for the probe to include the federal ministry and its minister over the corruption case involving RM3.3 billion worth of water infrastructure.

"This abuse of power happened in 2010 and it would be appropriate for the MACC to also investigate the minister and senior officials of the federal ministry involved," he said.

Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan, who also headed the state's Infrastructure Development Ministry, said he was kept in the dark over the projects.

He claimed the RM3.3 billion was a federal funding that came directly from the Rural and Regional Development Ministry in Putrajaya without going through him.

Unnamed sources revealed that 60 percent of the RM3.3 billion allocation or almost RM2 billion had been siphoned off from the Sabah infrastructure project.

Shafie had also responded to the insinuations, stating: "It is quite perplexing and amusing that the state authorities are in a haste to plead their innocence publicly and divert the blame to the Rural and Regional Development Ministry."

"Making such statements publicly seem to show that the state authority has no respect nor confidence in the investigation by the MACC," he said.