Legal turbulence over private jet: Ex-SMM CEO demands RM10m

Jontih Enggihon, the former CEO of Sabah Mineral Management Sdn Bhd (SMM), is demanding RM10 million in compensation from the state-owned company over statements made regarding the private jet scandal.

His counsel, Chin Tek Ming, said this is in response to SMM’s claim that the resurfacing of a private jet photo implicating its current CEO, Natasha Sim, is linked to a legal retaliation campaign.

In addition to the compensation, Jontih is also demanding that SMM issue a public apology and retract all defamatory allegations against him.

“My client strenuously denies his involvement in the publication of the photo and has nothing to do with the news article.

“Hence, SMM’s statement linking him to the exposure of the said photo has shown mala fide (bad faith) on the part of SMM,” Chin said in a statement.

The lawyer confirmed that the letter of demand was delivered to an SMM representative this morning at Plaza Shell in Kota Kinabalu.

“I cannot go up to the SMM office premises situated on the seventh floor. So the front desk security contacted SMM personnel to come to the ground floor to acknowledge receipt of the letter of demand.

“I do not understand why there is such a restriction for the public to go to the SMM office? As a GLC, shouldn’t it be accessible to the public?” Chin queried.

‘No evidence of wrongdoing’

On July 18, Malaysiakini reported a photograph allegedly showing the current SMM CEO, company secretary Emily Chong, and Sabah timber tycoon Elbert Lim standing next to a jet purportedly owned by an Indonesian coal magnate.

SMM later said that an internal inquiry, which concluded in February, found no evidence of conflict of interest, personal gain, or undue influence in relation to the incident.

The company also clarified that it is not a licensing authority and that its CEO does not have the power to grant or approve any licences.

SMM believes the re-emergence of the August 2024 photo may be politically motivated, given its ongoing lawsuit against Jontih and businessperson Albert Tei, who had exposed a mining scandal in Sabah.

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