Sabah is abuzz with talk of apparent links between recent raids by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and at least two blogs and an online news portal based in the state.

An NGO has "noted with concern" that the three websites have since last month been systematically leaking intricate details on the MACC raids in Sabah.

The details were allegedly "leaked" to the three websites either just after the raids or, in quite a number of cases, just before MACC moved to act.

All three websites also seemed to be working hand-in-glove to "embarrass the Sabah state government into caving in", claimed Kanul Gindol, organising secretary of the Common Interest Group Malaysia (CigMA).

"The MACC should come forward and explain how these leaks have taken place."

Kanul, a former senior Malay-language reporter with several local papers, was referring to a Sandakan-based blog set up last month, an online news portal and a related blog, IC Palsu .

'Like something out of a Hollywood script'

Kanul says it would be difficult for the MACC, whether in Putrajaya or Sabah, to deny any knowledge of the leaks and that "anyone who has been following the three websites will take this stand".

Chipped in CigMA deputy chairperson Daniel John Jambun: "Many of the details on the Sabah raids in the blogs read like something out of a Hollywood script from the Cold War era."

Local journalists were also keeping tabs on the MACC raids, but have been hampered so far by Putrajaya, which has been maintaining the utmost secrecy on the raids, Kanul says.

Some MACC sources would only confirm or deny if a journalist learnt of some development, "but they do not volunteer any additional information".

Many journalists and other observers in Kota Kinabalu, he added, have also come to the "leak" theory after studying numerous reports carried in the three websites and the development on the ground involving the MACC.

How are the three websites able keep track of the MACC so closely in the state, providing minute-by-minute reports with names, dates, places, flight numbers and documents?

This is the question being raised among the journalistic fraternity and others, since the hot websites aren't telling, said Kanul.

"Some local journalists have managed to turn out brief reports quoting Malaysiakini or mainstream newspapers based in Peninsular Malaysia, such as Nanyang Siang Pau ."

'Lies and propaganda', says Sabah BN

Local politicians were also relying on these reports to come up with their own takes on the hot raids. Those who repeated the takes in the blogs have been accused by Sabah BN leaders of spreading "lies and propaganda".

Local author Mutalib MD says he has been giving the seal of approval to the Sandakan blog reports in his online news portal and his blog IC Palsu .

Besides that he has also being running his own reports, which are similar to those in the other blogs.

According to Mutalib, this has strengthened the belief that there is more than meets the eye in the website reports on the continuing MACC raids in Sabah.

Mutalib says he does not know whether there's any link between the other blogs and MACC sources but takes the precaution of verifying the former's contents with his "sources", who he says feed him directly with news on the MACC raids.

The latest posting in the Sandakan blog is a case in point.

The posting uploaded on Tuesday afternoon claims that the site has the HSBC Bank statements of one of the principal suspects of the MACC in Sabah and that these statements would be uploaded.

The consensus in Sabah, as raised by CigMA, is that some kind of explanation should be forthcoming from the MACC, lest the perception lingers that it is selectively leaking information.

This would be in flagrant violation of MACC's own policy that any media coverage of ongoing raids would jeopardise its investigations.