Akmal: Were police, MACC reports filed on bid to threaten, bribe CM?

Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh has expressed concern over the allegation that there was an attempt to blackmail and bribe Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor in relation to mining exploration licences.

“This is a serious allegation. Was a police report lodged? Was a report filed with MACC? If a report was lodged, what was the outcome of the investigation or investigations?” he asked.

Akmal urged Hajiji, the police and MACC to clear the air on this matter as it involves an allegation of criminal acts against a top political leader.

“This is a serious offence and it cannot be taken lightly. If it is true, then the perpetrator must be investigated,” he told Malaysiakini.

On the same note, Akmal said the allegation does not answer the questions which arose from the revelation of the videos which implicated Hajiji and several members of his administration.

“The questions still remain. Were bribes accepted in return to support the licence application?

“Were licences given as ‘gifts’ to assemblypersons who supported the chief minister during the 2023 political crisis?” he added.

Malaysiakini has contacted the police, MACC and chief minister’s office for comment.

Scandal breakdown

Akmal was commenting on a Free Malaysia Today article which quoted an anonymous source familiar with the matter, as claiming that Hajiji refused to succumb to the blackmail or bribe offer.

The source said if Hajiji approved the exploration licences, the businessperson promised not to “destroy the government” but would give the state administration his full backing.

Less than two months later, the source said, the videos had surfaced.

On Dec 4, Hajiji claimed that the videos were “maliciously edited” and the corruption allegations were baseless, which prompted the whistleblower to challenge him and the assemblypersons involved to sue him for defamation.

He claimed that the exposé was perpetrated by certain quarters following an unsuccessful bid to apply for a mineral prospecting licence.

The prospecting licence would allow the licensee to explore economically viable mineral resources, which would pave the way for eligible companies to apply for a mining lease if the presence of such resources is confirmed.

Hajiji said the group’s application (for prospecting licences) involved large swathes of land, nearly a million acres. Large portions of the area are protected areas, water catchment areas, and conservation areas.

“When the application is unsuccessful, several video clips have been disseminated in a bid to threaten the state government,” he said.

26 prospecting licences

Hajiji assured that the state’s mineral resources are protected and carefully managed to protect the people’s future. No mining leases have been issued to date.

Previously, Hajiji said the state government had issued 26 prospecting licences in the last two years, as per Section 6 of the Sabah Mining Ordinance 1960.

Of these, two were voluntarily surrendered, one was cancelled, and four had expired.

Yesterday, Warisan information chief Mohd Azis Jamman said that the cancellation of the exploration licences does not absolve the crime of corruption.

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