Ex-CEO files 468-page defence and affidavit, ready to expose Sabah CM

Summary

• Former Sabah Mineral Management Sdn Bhd (SMM) CEO Jontih Enggihon files a total of 468 pages of defence and affidavit on March 17, challenging claims made by SMM against him.

• SMM, fully owned by the Sabah state government, has accused Jontih of conspiring to manipulate mineral exploration licences and leaking confidential information through videos and articles published by Malaysiakini.

• Jontih is ready to expose alleged corruption involving Chief Minister Hajiji Noor and seeks justice in court, accusing Hajiji of corruption, abuse of power, nepotism, and cronyism.

Former Sabah Mineral Management Sdn Bhd (SMM) CEO Jontih Enggihon has filed his statement of defence and an affidavit of objection with the Kota Kinabalu High Court, said his lawyer Chin Teck Ming.

“The 33-page statement of defence and the 40-page affidavit of the objection, along with 395 pages of exhibit evidence, totalling 468 pages, were submitted on March 17,” he told Malaysiakini.

Jontih (above) told Malaysiakini that he is prepared to expose all the alleged wrongdoings related to this case and Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.

"Let the people of Sabah know the truth about what happened. I hope to obtain justice in court," he said.

SMM is fully owned by the Sabah state government responsible for managing mineral exploration licence approvals. Hajiji is the chairperson of SMM.

In its statement of claim filed in January, SMM alleged that Jontih had conspired to manipulate the issuance of prospecting licences with an external third party.

SMM further claimed that Jontih colluded with this person and unidentified individuals to create and publish two videos and two accompanying articles, which were released by Malaysiakini on Nov 12 and 14 last year.

According to SMM, the videos contained private and confidential information regarding applicants and licensees, as well as internal discussions and procedures.

The company asserted that Jontih not only disclosed this sensitive information but also interwove it with false statements implying impropriety and misconduct by SMM, presenting these claims as factual.

Threats and warnings

Previously, SMM’s lawyers and Hajiji’s office had repeatedly warned Malaysiakini that reporting matters related to the case or the corruption scandal linked to the issuance of mineral exploration licences would be a breach of an ex-parte injunction.

The firm cautioned that contempt proceedings can be initiated against the news portal.

The same threat was raised in a letter from the Chief Minister’s Office dated March 10 when Malaysiakini contacted them for comment on the video implicating Sabah legislative assembly speaker Kadzim Yahya.

However, Free Malaysia Today has published Jontih’s statement of defence in full, which made serious accusations against Hajiji.

Since November, Malaysiakini has revealed nine videos and a trove of WhatsApp messages.

The videos and messages were disclosed by a businessperson who claimed that he bribed several assemblypersons in exchange for mineral exploration licences.

Hajiji has claimed that it is an attempt to undermine his administration.

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