Sabah DAP has called on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to verify reports which appeared on the whistleblower website Sarawak Report alleging that Foreign Minister Anifah Aman was also named in its investigation into Sabah timber corruption.

NONE Sabah DAP publicity secretary Chan Foong Hin said the allegations are serious.

“Firstly, according to the article on the RM16 million smuggling case, the MACC had concluded that Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman had corruptly issued timber licences to his brother Anifah, who is the Foreign Minister, which are worth tens of millions of ringgit.

“However, the investigation has been blocked at the highest levels and its findings kept secret, until now,” Chan said.

NONE Secondly, he said it was alleged attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail has refused to pursue the case and Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has scandalously turned a blind eye to it.

Sarawak Report had recently reported that Anifah has been a secret beneficiary of lucrative timber licences in Sabah, thanks to Musa.

NONE The documents retrieved by the MACC allegedly show timber corruption after an agent and Musa’s nominee, Michael Chia, was caught attempting to smuggle RM16 million out of Hong Kong in 2008.

Chan said if the allegations are true, it is one of the largest and most extensive investigations undertaken by the MACC which may involve billions of ringgit being siphoned out of the state via corruption at the highest level.

“It is utmost urgency for MACC to respond to the allegations by Sarawak Report . In case there is no reply from MACC within three days, Sabah DAP would like to lodge a police report on the authenticity of the allegations,” said Chan.