Cops quiz Mkini, businessperson over Sabah scandal 'settlement offer'

Summary

• Police have questioned Malaysiakini executive editor RK Anand for a second time in connection with a police report regarding an alleged offer to retract graft allegations.

• This follows Sabah businessperson Albert Tei’s report to the IPCC that the police have failed to investigate the alleged offer.

Police recorded a statement from Malaysiakini over a report which quoted businessperson Albert Tei accusing Sabah governor Musa Aman’s son-in-law Arifin Arif of offering him a settlement to retract corruption allegations.

This is concerning the mining licence scandal implicating Arifin and several other assemblypersons.

This marks the second time Malaysiakini executive editor RK Anand has been summoned to the Dang Wangi district police headquarters over the past few months to answer questions regarding the report.

Yesterday, police also questioned Tei over the same matter.

The fresh round of questioning followed a complaint lodged by Tei with the Independent Police Conduct Commission (IPCC) over alleged police inaction on his Feb 6 report against Arifin.

Tei had demanded an explanation from Inspector-General of Police Khalid Ismail to explain the more than six-month delay.

‘Inaccurate, misleading, false and slanderous’

The businessperson, who exposed a mining scandal in Sabah, had filed the report some 24 hours after Arifin, who is a state minister, lodged a police report in Sabah against the Malaysiakini report on Feb 3 regarding the alleged settlement offer.

Arifin had claimed that the report was “inaccurate, misleading, and filled with false and slanderous claims”.

In his counter-report, Tei had claimed that the Membakut assemblyperson lodged a false report.

“I urge the police to take strict action and conduct an immediate investigation regarding the false police report that was made under Section 182 of the Penal Code. All witnesses from my side who are involved in this matter are ready to fully cooperate and provide all necessary evidence.

“If the police investigation finds me guilty, please arrest and charge me in court immediately. However, if it is found that the individual in question has made a false police report, please take the appropriate action,” the businessperson said in his report.

Tei also detailed the “chronology of events” of the alleged settlement offer in his report, similar to what Malaysiakini had published.

The businessperson also furnished the news portal with more than 50 screenshots of WhatsApp conversations related to the alleged settlement.

Sabah scandal: Albert files police report, sends legal letter to portal

Sabah polls: Caught between fragile pacts and solo ambitions

Singapore mining firm's MD refutes alleged role in Sabah graft case

Whistleblower takes Musa Aman's son-in-law 'false report' case to IPCC

Sabah scandal: MACC opens investigation paper on S'pore tycoon

Star deputy president denies RM530k corruption claim