MACC looking into alleged land grab case in Sabah
(FMT) – The anti-graft agency is believed to be visiting an alleged 2014 land grab case that is still in the process of a court appeal.
FMT has learnt that Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officers (MACC) have been on the ground interviewing smallholders linked to the alleged Dusun Bagahak land grab case that made headlines in Sabah several years ago.
A senior MACC official said it was not an investigation and that they were merely preparing a report on recent developments into the case to see if there were elements of graft.
“We have not opened anything, at least not yet. We are only trying to get some information (from the smallholders).
“We just want to know what the real issue is and learn what really happened. If there are any violations of the MACC Act, then we will open an investigation,” the officer told FMT on condition of anonymity.
In 2014, the case made headlines after the Tawau High Court ruled that Sabah PKR chief Christina Liew (picture) and two others had unlawfully induced a group of smallholders to breach their joint venture agreement with Borneo Samudera, a subsidiary of the state-owned Sawit Kinabalu.
They were told to pay RM577 million in damages to Borneo Samudera.
The Federal Court in February this year dismissed Liew’s application to introduce fresh evidence against the High Court decision. The appeal for the case is now set for June 16.