After photo reveal, 'hard to die' Sanusi admits meeting rare earth theft suspect

Caretaker Kedah menteri besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has admitted meeting a Chinese national who is wanted in connection with the theft of rare earth resources in the state.

However, he maintained the Chinese national’s business is with the Kedah Land and Minerals Office and the state’s Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI), which he has no involvement in.

Sanusi told Malaysiakini that the man owns a solar power company that is in a joint venture with MBI and has been in Malaysia before he became menteri besar in 2020.

“I can’t remember how many times we met. The ones I remember were once at my office and once at a Hari Raya open house,” he said when contacted.

Even during these meetings, Sanusi indicated there was a significant language barrier as the suspect does not speak Malay or English.

“Even when we met, we could not discuss anything because he doesn’t know English. He has been in this country before I became menteri besar; I don’t know since when,” he said.

However, when speaking to reporters on the campaign trail, Sanusi was quoted as stating that the Chinese national brought an interpreter along.

“He (the suspect via the interpreter) told me that RM5 million has been given to MBI, and he has finished RM30 million, he had made all sorts of preparations and had an agreement with MBI before I took office.

“So I told him to continue. Do whatever that needs to be done but make sure it is according to the law,” he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian.

The PAS leader also claimed that he only realised that Home Minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail had been referring to this particular individual when he saw the photograph.

Malaysiakini withholds the names of suspects in criminal cases who are not public figures, pending formal charges being laid.

Why deny?

Earlier today, Saifuddin revealed a photograph of Sanusi together with the suspect to rebut the latter’s claim that he does not know the Chinese national.

“For sure, it is not wrong for Sanusi to pose for a picture with (the Chinese national)... we are not arguing that. But why did he deny knowing the man?

“His letter to the then home minister (Hamzah Zainudin) clearly stated that he had applied for a working pass for (the Chinese national). Since you applied on his behalf, how can you claim to not know him?” Saifuddin said.

The minister said that Sanusi, as a member of MBI’s advisory board, should not wash his hands off MBI’s affairs and shift blame for the company’s shortcomings to its CEO Muhamad Sobri Osman.

He also disputed Sobri’s claim that the two Chinese nationals were not employed by MBI.

Saifuddin revealed a purported letter by Sobri to then-home minister Hamzah to seek approval for workers’ passes and approval from the Immigration Department.

“In the application, it clearly states MBI as the employer of the foreign workers. With this, Sobri's denial that the two men were not MBI employees just because they were not issued with workers’ passes is completely dismissed,” he said.

MBI lodged a police report yesterday to deny Saifuddin’s claim that the Chinese nationals were employed by the company.

‘Hard for Nusi to die’

Meanwhile, Sanusi also questioned the reason for Saifuddin being “excited” in investigating the theft of resources in Kedah when there are 59 other illegal mines throughout the country as revealed by the National Resources, Environment and Climate Change Ministry.

“Why is ‘Pudin’ (Saifuddin) attacking Kedah alone, and why during the elections and not before or after. Because you (Saifuddin) are playing politics, using this issue to run down others.

“He is not good-hearted (hati tak murni), go and look for the other 59 mines in Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak. You are not investigating (those mines)? Why always come to Kedah? Because you want to kill Sanusi. It’s hard for ‘Nusi’ (Sanusi) to die, boss,” he added.

Saifuddin, who is also PKR secretary-general, has been making claims throughout the ceramah circuit in Kedah linking Sanusi to the alleged theft of rare earth elements (REE) in the Bukit Enggang Forest Reserve in Sik, Kedah.

Sanusi denied the allegations and threatened to sue Saifuddin but the minister is standing by his claims and continues to make further revelations on the issue.

The person Saifuddin named at the press conference is one of two Chinese nationals frequently featured in his speeches, who were purportedly employed by MBI to carry out rare earth element exploration works.

One of them was supposedly caught trespassing a forest reserve along with over 380 bags of rare earth ore, while the other - the one highlighted by Saifuddin today - has gone missing.

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