Yayasan Sabah seeks to claim ‘missing’ RM872m from Musa Aman
Yayasan Sabah has filed a claim to recover RM872 million from former Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman over purported “dubious” logging contracts.
In a statement today, the foundation’s director Jamalul Kiram Mohd Zakaria said the board of trustees had filed the suit online with the Kota Kinabalu High Court on Tuesday (June 16).
“The board is making a claim on RM872 million that has gone missing due to...
Yayasan Sabah has filed a claim to recover RM872 million from former Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman over purported “dubious” logging contracts.
In a statement today, the foundation’s director Jamalul Kiram Mohd Zakaria said the board of trustees had filed the suit online with the Kota Kinabalu High Court on Tuesday (June 16).
“The board is making a claim on RM872 million that has gone missing due to dubious logging contracts. We believe the money belongs to Yayasan Sabah,” said Jamalul (above).
“Musa has failed to carry out his fiduciary duty to safeguard the interests of Yayasan Sabah in his role as the chairperson of the board of trustees of Yayasan Sabah, which was established to serve the Sabah people.
“The board has solid reasons to believe that Musa had used his position to instruct Yayasan Sabah’s subsidiary company - Rakyat Berjaya Sdn Bhd - for logging business purposes,” Jamalul added.
According to the statement, the suit listed the recipients, transactions, and offshore accounts allegedly involved.
The foundation is represented by counsel Theodore Douglas Lind, who is also a Sabah Heritage Party (Warisan) senator in Parliament.
In a statement, Musa's counsel Tengku Fuad Tengku Ahmad said his client denied any wrongdoing during his tenure as Yayasan Sabah chairperson from 2003 to 2018.
"Specifically, Musa denies that he has ever breached any of his fiduciary duties as Yayasan Sabah chairperson and that the allegations made against him today are scandalous and utterly false," he said.
"Second, it is highly suspicious, irregular, and improper to learn of Yayasan Sabah’s alleged suit through a press release and the media.
"Normally, when you commence a suit, the claim and cause-papers are served on the defendant or his lawyer," said Tengku Fuad, adding that neither he nor Musa has been served with the suit.
He further dismissed the suit as nothing more than a "politically motivated publicity stunt designed to distract and mislead the public."
"In any event, I am instructed to receive service of this alleged suit and will comment further in due course," he added.
Umno veteran Musa served as chief minister for 15 years, from 2003 to 2018.
Following BN and Umno’s fall from federal power in GE14, he was charged for corruption and money laundering over timber concessions in the state.
Last week, Musa was acquitted on all 46 charges after the prosecution applied to withdraw them. The case did not make it to trial.
Established in 1966, state-owned Yayasan Sabah holds the most logging concessionaires in the state.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.