This comes in the wake of arrests of the Sabah Water Department’s director and deputy director and two others and the seizure of a total of RM52 million in cash as well as valuables, luxury items and property valued at RM62 million.
The arrests and seizures, by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), was the outcome of its investigations into corruption involving RM3.3 billion in federal allocations.
There was no way that the state would not be aware of such a big allocation, Shafie told reporters at a press conference in Sabah today.
“Do not accuse me without proof. Let the investigation run its course, and investigate it properly.”
He denied any allegations and inferences of his involvement or of his former ministry in the alleged corruption and abuse of power.
Shafie was Rural and Regional Development Minister from April 2009 to July 2015, when he was dropped from the Cabinet for making critical comments about 1Malaysia Development Bhd.
Shafie said that it was confusing how the state authorities and some in social media quickly made judgements to publicly prove their innocence by diverting the blame to his former ministry.
“These statements were made during the material time when investigations are ongoing. Such statements make it seem that the state have no respect or confidence towards the MACC’s investigation,” said Shafie.
He denied allegations that the RM3.3 billion in federal allocations had been channelled from the Rural and Regional Development Ministry directly to the Sabah Water Department.
“It’s not logical if the tender came from my ministry, but the money was found in the state department,” Shafie said.
On Friday, deputy chief minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan had said that the state government had nothing to do with the RM3.3 billion federal allocations to the Sabah Water Department.
Kitingan was quoted as saying that the projects, allocated since 2010, were under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry during Shafie’s tenure as the Minister.
Earlier today Likas assemblyman Junz Wong slammed Tenom MP Raime Unggi on this matter, claiming the latter ‘was only trying to divert the attention of the RM3.3 billion water department scandal from the real issue.’
Raime had said the corruption case would also involve the Rural and Regional Development Ministry at the federal level.
“Firstly, I don’t understand why did Raime call for investigation to be extended to Federal Ministry when the money was found in the hands of the Sabah state civil officers,” Junz said today.
“If the money was found in Federal officers’ residences or offices, then it makes more sense. But that was not the case.”
Junz also called for Raime to explain to the public why he had called for investigation to be extended only to the Rural and Regional Development Ministry when the Ministry of Finance was the one approving the funds.
“In fact by Raime’s standards, the MACC should extend full investigation on the Ministry of Finance at state level first, then the MOF on federal level, instead,” Junz added, explaining that once a list of federal projects was budgeted and approved in the Parliament, the Tender Board would call for tendering of these projects.
“In this Water Department case, the Tender Board consisted of the Water Department (Federal Level) and Ministry of Finance, chaired by the ‘Ketua Setiausaha’ (chief secretary) of the Ministry or its timbalan (deputy).”