In a statement, Adrian Lasimbang said he has no problem being summoned to court over the “controversial” Nature Conservation Agreement (NCA).
“He can sue me. I am happy to provide him the opportunity to reveal all the evidence that proves the NCA is ‘not a scam’ and the public can be informed as well,” he said alluding to the reasons given by Kitingan in his threat.
“It is in the public interest should he sue me so that he can clear the air about this controversial and secretive deal.”
Lasimbang had in fact initiated legal proceedings against the NCA last year, naming the chief conservator of forests and the state government as the first and second defendants.
Kitingan had yesterday said he was considering legal action against Al Jazeera and Lasimbang over a report on the Sabah carbon credit agreement which he said was written based entirely on what a “whistleblower” told the news network.
He said the network should have double-checked the facts with the state government, which he claimed had already endorsed the NCA. He said the same “whistleblower” had also misled and influenced Lasimbang.
“Clearly, both Al Jazeera and Lasimbang formed their opinions on the topic based on lies and falsehood fed to them by this individual whose motive is to gain political mileage and instigate the indigenous communities by defaming me,” Kitingan said.
In his statement today, Lasimbang said he had obtained a court order to gain access to documents regarding the NCA.
He also claimed that documents on the NCA, leaked in social media several months ago, “were legitimate”.
He said the documents on the deal between the state government and a Singaporean firm, Hoch Standard Pte Ltd, did not include any map to specify the area covered under the NCA.
“So how, or on what basis, was the calculation over the revenue made? Did he consult our conservation agencies about how much it will cost to maintain the carbon in these areas?”
Lasimbang said, among other issues, the people deserved to know why Kitingan continued to defend Hoch Standard, which is said to have no track record in the carbon trading industry.
Warisan president Shafie Apdal had earlier questioned why the current government was offering state land as collateral for 100 years under the NCA.
It was also previously reported that some 600,000 hectares of forest were to be initially used for the carbon trade deal, which could later be increased to two million hectares.
Speaking at the Sabah International Business and Economic Summit 2022 on Jan 18, Kitingan said the state government expected to earn RM2.2 billion to RM5.6 billion annually from carbon trading as well as other natural asset monetising deals.