ACA probing top Sabah politician for abuse of power, bribery and forgery

From bernama

ACA probing top Sabah politician for abuse of power, bribery and forgery
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 — The Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) is closing in on a high-ranking Sabah politician for alleged abuse of power, forgery and bribery which allowed him to snare three contracts worth about RM40 million in Labuan.
According to Bernama , the politician had bribed some officers at the Federal Territories Ministry - which gives out tenders - to assist his engineering firm to get the lucrative contracts.
In addition, the report says, the 51-year-old politician is also suspected to have forged several documents related to the contracts to obtain an RM8-million loan from a bank in Kota Kinabalu to settle his personal debts and make progress payments to sub-contractors hired by him for the three contracts concerned.
Bernama has also learnt that Bank Negara Malaysia and the Sabah Commercial Crime Department had instructed its officers to investigate why the bank in Kota Kinabalu had released RM8 million to the politician, without proper documentation.
Sabah ACA director Latifah Mohd Yatim, when contacted by Bernama, declined to comment on the probe.
"I don't want to say anything at the moment. Let us to do our job," she said.
It is also learnt that several files belonging to the politician, who is also holding a high-ranking position in a government agency in Labuan, were seized by ACA investigators recently.
Bernama also learnt that the Sabah ACA would record the politician's statement very soon and would wrap up the case for further action.
Meanwhile, a highly-placed official in a federal agency in Labuan told Bernama that the Sabah ACA had already informed him of the probe and the agency was looking seriously into the matter.
"They recorded my statement last Saturday and we are ready to assist the Sabah ACA in their probe.
"We will bring this matter to our board of directors soon. We are not going to compromise on the (politician's) wrong-doing," he said, adding that the agency had not decided on the type of action to be taken against the politician.
Bernama further learnt that the politician had also cheated a Kuala Lumpur-based sub-contractor who was hired to build a RM20.5-million market in Labuan. Eventually, the sub-contractor suffered losses amounting to about RM500,000.
The 28-year-old victim, who only wanted to be identified as Eric, told Bernama he lodged a report against the politician at the Sabah ACA headquarters on July 29 before lodging a police report at the Kamunsing police station in Kota Kinabalu the following day.
He said he was awarded the contract to build a market at Ujong Pasir in Labuan and received a letter of acceptance (LA) from the politician's engineering firm early this year.
"However, the LA was incomplete and I asked him for a proper documentation. The politician was reluctant to do so, saying that I should trust him as he was a well-known politician. I have all the evidence to prove that the politician had misused his power.
"He asked me to begin the construction without signing several important documents but only made an initial payment of RM200,000.
"I trusted him and he promised me to pay the balance. However, on July 14, he sent me a letter of termination of the RM20.5-million contract (market in Labuan), without notice," said Eric, adding that the politician made a fresh agreement with another party to build the market.
He estimated his total losses to be more than RM1 million and is contemplating suing the politician. — Bernama