M Rakunman said all wealthy politicians, whether from the Barisan Nasional (BN) or the opposition, deserved to have the source of their wealth scrutinised.
“The core here is the attitude of those leaders themselves. If the leaders sincerely fight for the people, then they wouldn’t be wealthy at the end of their careers,” he said in a blog post.
“Through MACC’s investigations, the true source of Shafie Apdal’s wealth, as well as that of those close to him, will be revealed.
Rakunman said it was unfair for the opposition to question the integrity of the MACC while overlooking the number of arrests the agency had made on those who were once in BN and Umno.
“Many opposition leaders including PPBM chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad have questioned whether Shafie Apdal would have been investigated if he were still in Umno.
“The question suggests that the MACC’s investigation of the former minister of rural and regional development is political in nature, but, at the same time, Mahathir forgets that there have been numerous leaders who have been investigated and brought to court even though they are still in Umno.”
Shafie was released on bail last Friday following his remand in connection with the alleged misappropriation of RM1.5 billion allocated for rural development projects in Sabah.
In his blog post, Rakunman also addressed questions as to why Shafie was only being investigated now that he was the leader of an opposition party.
“The funds being investigated were only brought to light when the target group for the projects voiced their problems, not only through the mainstream media but also through the social media.
“Because the funds involved were given for projects between 2009 and 2015, the whole truth of whether or not the money had been used for the projects based on specifications would have only been noticed by the target group after 2014. If Shafie was still in Umno, he would still have been investigated,” Rakunman claimed.
He said the scandal allegedly involving the rural and regional development ministry was brought to the MACC’s attention when the residents of areas where the projects should have been implemented began protesting.
“It was these voices that brought the MACC to start looking into the matter, and after two years of monitoring and investigating, in October 2016, the agency conducted its first wave against the Sabah Water Department.
“Why was the Sabah Water Department raided? Because most of the complaints from the rural folk were regarding the supply of clean water.”
Last year, the MACC made its biggest seizure with the recovery of RM114 million from the homes of former top directors of the Sabah Water Department.
The amount was said to have included RM53.7 million in cash, and took MACC officers 15 hours to count.
Former water department director Awang Mohd Tahir Mohd Talib, his wife Fauziah Piut, and his deputy Lim Lam Beng were later charged under the Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Act. They pleaded not guilty to all 37 charges filed against them.