Hajiji's lieutenant slams Latheefa, Albert; hit back with RM5k 'donation'

Summary

• Gagasan Youth chief questions why ex-MACC chief Latheefa Koya is defending a “tainted” businessperson accused of labour exploitation.

• Businessperson responds to Fairuz Renddan with allegations that the latter also took money from him previously.

• UPDATED 3PM | NGO urges Latheefa and Malaysiakini to be more balanced when carrying the Sabah corruption scandal issue.

Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (Gagasan) Youth chief Fairuz Renddan has criticised former MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya for defending a businessperson previously accused of exploiting foreign workers.

In response, the businessperson - who is the whistleblower in the Sabah corruption scandal - alleged that Fairuz had also received money from him in the past.

The businessperson, whom Latheefa had identified as Albert, furnished a screenshot of the alleged transfer of a RM5,000 “donation” to a Public Bank account.

When contacted, Fairuz (above) claimed to not know Albert and could not recall if they had previously met.

He also claimed that receiving donations was not unusual.

“Contributions sometimes come from friends. I don’t remember all that.

“For me, he (Albert) has been attacking (the Sabah government) non-stop, so when he attacks my president (Hajiji Noor) I have to respond,” Fairuz said.

Ex-MACC chief refuses to be sidetracked

Latheefa, meanwhile, declined to engage with the Gagasan Youth chief’s accusations against her.

In a text message to Malaysiakini, she stated: “I do not wish to respond to any attempts to sidetrack the issue. This is about ensuring the federal government does not look away from clear, prima facie evidence of corruption.

“That it involves elected representatives or the state government is incidental.

“The videos speak for themselves; let it be investigated fairly, independently, and without favour or bias toward any party,” she added.

‘Labourers treated like slaves’

In a statement earlier, Fairuz asked if there was “something bigger” behind Latheefa’s decision to defend the businessperson, who has exposed nine damning videos and WhatsApp messages since last November.

Describing the 36-year-old businessperson as someone who was “involved with labour exploitation, human trafficking and threats against journalists”, he noted how reports in Malaysiakini and Indonesia’s Tempo had exposed this in 2017.

“Thousands of Indonesian citizens were victimised - lured with promises of high wages but ultimately treated like slaves.

“They were confined, forced to work under inhumane conditions, and paid far less than what was promised.

“The situation was so severe that the Indonesian government had to intervene to bring its citizens home,” Fairuz added.

The businessperson, who was charged under the Immigration Act but not for human trafficking, was given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal (DNAA) in 2019.

The issues that Fairuz raised have been making the rounds on social media since the Sabah scandal videos emerged last November.

Fairuz also questioned the DNAA granted to Albert, asking if this was due to legal factors or because of an “extraordinary force” protecting him.

“If Latheefa truly seeks justice, why isn’t she demanding an investigation into how he obtained his DNAA?” he added.

‘Sabah not for dirty business’

Fairuz said Hajiji - who is the chief minister - had taken a firm stance in rejecting the “21 mining (exploration) licences” linked to the businessperson, who has been accused of being part of a cartel.

“This is no small decision. It is a bold move to prioritise the interests of the people of Sabah. We will not bow to individuals who seek to use their wealth and influence to pressure this state.

“We will also not remain silent while certain external parties attempt to defend an individual whose record is already tainted.

“Sabah is not a place for dirty business and greedy cartels aiming to monopolise the state's resources,” he said.

“If anyone tries to turn Sabah into a safe haven for those with a dark history, they are gravely mistaken,” he added.

Fairuz also told Latheefa that the issue is not a fight for human rights but an attempt to destabilise Sabah so that external agendas, including those of this “cartel”, can continue to operate.

“The people of Sabah will not remain silent, and we will not allow this state to be taken advantage of by outsiders. If anyone tries to manipulate Sabah, the people of this state will rise to defend it,” he stressed.

NGO calls for more balanced reporting

In a similar tone, an NGO went to the MACC headquarters earlier today to submit "additional information" against Albert.

Malaysian People’s Power Movement (G57) chairperson Zulkarnain Mahdar said the group was also sending the information on Albert's massive wealth and business activities in Sabah to Latheefa and Malaysiakini, which he accused of being biased in its reporting on the Sabah corruption scandal.

He criticised the former MACC chief and the news portal for allegedly hailing Albert as a hero when he was supposedly a dirty businessperson who tried to monopolise mineral mining activities in the state.

"We have been asked by a group of youth activists and NGOs to channel this information about who Albert really is.

"If we look into the news, they were a bit biased, where Albert was hailed as a hero and a victim of political (persecution).

"But the reality is, based on information we received, that Albert had been involved in abuse of power," Zulkarnain told reporters outside the MACC premises.

He claimed that Albert had applied for 25 mineral mining licences from the Sabah government, of which the businessperson had allegedly received 13.

Zulkarnain also alleged that Albert had tried to bribe Hajiji with RM5 million, but was rejected.

The NGO leader urged Latheefa, her group Lawyers for Liberty (LFL), and Malaysiakini to be more balanced when carrying the Sabah corruption scandal issue instead of mounting relentless attacks on the state government.

"From what we saw, there is an imbalance in the news reports. For example, they keep attacking the eight Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) assemblypersons.

"So, (from this) it seems that Albert has not done anything wrong. So we want to ask LFL, Latheefa Koya and Malaysiakini to be more balanced," he added.

Zulkarnain was referring to the eight state representatives from GRS who were implicated in several viral video clips, where they were supposedly in discussions about bribes to facilitate an application for a mining exploration licence.

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