In a written reply released in Parliament today to a question by Chua Tian Chang (PKR-Batu) last week, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz said the Attorney-General’s Chambers had shelved the matter after finding no element of corruption in the case, which was first raised by whistleblower site Sarawak Report earlier this year.
Musa had claimed the graft allegations were likely part of a conspiracy by his detractors who wanted to topple Barisan Nasional in Sabah. — File pic
The minister added that Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) has also investigated the case but “took no further action”.
“On the matter filed in the Switzerland courts, it was a MACMA (Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act) application by the ICAC seeking a probe on the same case.
“The MACMA application has also been withdrawn for the same reason as stated above,” he said.
In April this year, Sarawak Report had revealed documents from the ICAC allegedly showing that a Sabah lawyer was holding some US$30 million in a Swiss bank account for Musa.
The report claimed that a paper trail showed that the millions in euros, US, Hong Kong and Singapore dollars had been channelled from several firms managed by Hong Kong-based timber trader Michael Chia to a number of British Virgin Island companies and subsequently to the lawyer’s Swiss account.
Musa has since denied any link with Chia, who was arrested and charged with money laundering after attempting to smuggle S$16 million (RM40 million) back to Malaysia in 2008.
According to media reports, Chia had at the time allegedly told the Hong Kong authorities that the money belonged to Musa.
“I deny all these allegations. I wish to put it on record once again that I have no business association whatsoever with an individual named Michael Chia,” the usually media-shy Musa had said in a statement.
Musa instead accused Sarawak Report of defaming him, claiming the graft allegations were likely part of a conspiracy by his detractors who wanted to topple Barisan Nasional (BN) in the east Malaysian state.
He said he would offer full co-operation to the authorities if he was required to but stressed that in the meantime his focus was on serving the state instead of “entertaining these frivolous allegations”.
In June this year, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had told Chua in a written reply that the MACC had completed its probe on the matter and had passed it on to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for consideration.
MORE TO COME
Now we know the truth of this story. No evidence to say Datuk Musa involve in money laundering cases. Grateful that MACC give the good report to us.
ReplyDeleteMACC did a great job!
DeleteThat good news. Musa Aman is clean from that allegation. Opposition better stop making any negative statement.
ReplyDeleteMay be after the good news, the opposition will again to confuse the people espcially people in Sabahans.
ReplyDeleteAllright, the truth finally revealed! thank you for the justice.
ReplyDeletethank you because the MACC gave the right accordingly.
After this, those who have been involved in accuse Musa in laundering money dont do that without any prove next time. Not good, right?
ReplyDeleteThey will continue criticize the MACC result but what can they do after all? Just talk talk and talk. Haha
DeleteFinally! The result has shut the oppositions' big mouth!
ReplyDeleteOften the opposition alleged Musa for money laundering which is so not true. Who is lying all thus while? The opposition!
ReplyDeleteThis case is close or will be brought to court?
ReplyDeleteGreat news, and we knew it, like we always said, Musa is innocent and he never afraid of any investigation, the truth has reveal!
ReplyDeleteHong Kong decided to stop the crime charges, Musa is out from the sludge now.
ReplyDeleteSarawak Report got a slap on their face.
ReplyDeleteThe case finally settle, hopefully all the Sabahan can gain back their trust to CM.
ReplyDeleteSarawak Report got a big back slap this time, since Hong Kong authority was pull back their charges against CM Musa.
ReplyDeleteSPRM akui siasatan sudah selesai
ReplyDeleteMenurut Timbalan Pesuruhjaya SPRM, Mohd Shukri Abdull, pihaknya perlu mendapatkan lebih banyak bahan bukti untuk mendakwa Datuk Musa Aman. Bermakna sejak tahun 1996 (tahun dimana bermulanya rasuah Datuk Musa Aman menurut Sarawak Report) sehingga tahun 2012, badan pencegah rasuah ini masih kehulu-kehilir mencari bahan bukti?
Malah pihak SPRM sendiri mengakui bahawa siasatan sudah selesai. Bermakna badan ini telah gagal membuktikan bahawa Datuk Musa Aman terlibat dengan skandal rasuah pembalakan. Adakah disebabkan desakan bertubi-tubi pihak pembangkang, maka SPRM terpaksa berusaha membuktikan pihak yang tidak bersalah sebagai bersalah?
Ketiadaan atau kekurangan bahan bukti selepas 16 tahun isu ini dimainkan cukup untuk membuktikan bahawa Datuk Musa Aman tidak terlibat dengan skandal pembalakan atau skandal pengubahan wang haram sebagaimana yang dimomokkan oleh pemimpin-pemimpin pembangkang dan juga NGO tajaan mereka.
Jika pemimpin-pemimpin pembangkang masih terus mendesak SPRM supaya membuktikan yang tidak bersalah sebagai bersalah, kenapa tidak desak SPRM untuk terus mencari bahan bukti bagi kes RM4 bilion Jeffrey Kitingan dan skandal SAS Datuk Yong Teck Lee? atau mungkin MP PAS Kubang Kerian Salahuddin Ayub sendiri perlu arahkan pihak polis untuk terus mencari bahan bukti bagi kes liwat Anwar sekalipun perbicaraan kes itu sudah selesai.
Rakyat Sabah jangan mudah terpengaruh dengan dakyah politik pembangkang. Niat mereka hanya satu, iaitu untuk merampas kuasa, bukannya menegakkan kebenaran. Dipihak mereka sendiri banyak berlaku penyelewengan, penindasan, diskriminasi dan ketidak-cekapan pentadbiran.
Walau berpuluh tahun pun isu ini dimainkan, cukuplah hanya sekali Datuk Musa Aman menafikan tuduhan ini dan menegaskan bahawa beliau bersedia memberikan kerjasama penuh kepada pihak berkuasa.
Now all the false crime charges was withdrawn and Datuk Seri Musa Aman name is cleared, loud and clear, great news for Sabah.
ReplyDeleteICAC and Macma was withdrawn their charges against Datuk Seri Musa Aman, opposition must be in nervous stage now, they just can poison the lion.
ReplyDeleteCM Musa Aman Never will disappointed Sabahan, Sabah needed CM Musa to grow bigger and stronger, like this year he has already attracted British fame Royal couple and China legislator came to Sabah.
ReplyDeleteUnder administration of CM Musa Aman, Sabah already attracted many foreign investors in developing industries.
ReplyDeleteHope that all Sabahan appreciate what we have in Sabah, we are growing and developing now.
ReplyDeleteTHE facts speak for themselves. If Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman is corrupt, Sabah would be bankrupt by now. But instead, he has been giving Sabah a surplus of more than RM1 billion every year since he took over the reins of the state government. The Sabah economy was in the doldrums when Datuk Seri Musa became Sabah’s 14th Chief Minister. There was hardly any money in the treasury as the state had a deficit of about RM3 billion.
ReplyDeleteIf Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman is corrupt, Sabah would be bankrupt by now.
ReplyDeleteOne such positive development comes from this whole accusation. Sabah Forestry Department director Sam Manan is an internationally celebrated forest scientist. In his current assignment as adviser on forestry to Sabah chief minister Musa Aman, Sam has been focusing on good forest practices in the state. And he has an interesting story to tell. Despite being hit by accusations of rampant illegal logging of its forest, the state is all set to post an increase of about 20 percent of Sabah’s total land area under the totally protected area (TPAS) reserves reaching 1.3 million hectares exceeding even the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) standard of 10%. By all yardsticks, this is not only unprecedented but phenomenal too.
If Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman is corrupt, Sabah would be bankrupt by now.
ReplyDeleteHow has this miracle become possible? Sam explains it very succinctly, “Perseverance and desire at the top.” Musa Aman has been consistent in his approach to reduce the dependence on timber revenue soon than later, ever since taking over the state as chief minister in 2003 and this was his agenda. The forest revenue is about RM150 million a year today as opposed to RM500 million to RM1 billion in the past. His objective is simple: to ensure that the forests are given a chance to recover.
If Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman is corrupt, Sabah would be bankrupt by now.
ReplyDeleteAnd according to Sam, the money Bruno Manser Fund is alleging about is a US$90 million “nest egg” purportedly derived from widescale illegal logging activities in Sabah. This amount of US$90 million , if indeed true, would mean that not less that one million m3 of timber have been illegally felled. That represents plundering of at least 20,000 hectres (50,000 acres) of well-stocked forest. This scale of logging would then represent 50% of the timber produced from natural forest in 2011 or about 30% of Sabah’s timber production in 2010.Sounds rather ridiculous and far fetched this whole US90 million story.
If Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman is corrupt, Sabah would be bankrupt by now.
ReplyDeleteIf anything, a badly logged well-stocked forest of 20,000ha would have been easily detected by satellites and attracted the attention of NGOs, environmentalists and the communities living nearby. Besides, the enormity of the alleged extent of illegal felling [1 million m3] could not have escaped the attention of the world. So, no way could such acts be committed and passed without notice. Also, if 50% of the annual production of timber from Sabah was alleged to be illegal, world markets especially sensitive ones like Europe, North America and Japan would have long ago stopped buying timber from Sabah. This enormous economic and financial implication would have been so harmful to the state as a whole and the state budget could have gone topsy-turvy.
If Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman is corrupt, Sabah would be bankrupt by now.
ReplyDeleteMusa Aman worked overtime with the forestry to improve on good forest practices and continue to attract the attention of certifying bodies and NGOs, who want to be partners and to assist Sabah in obtaining veritable and certifiable good governance. Under his leadership, SFM [sustainable forest management] had improved by leaps and bounds. Short-term licences that caused tremendous damage to the environment were being drastically phased out and Sabah’s forest management credibility is now at its highest.
If Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman is corrupt, Sabah would be bankrupt by now.
ReplyDeleteSabah now has an open-book philosophy whereby, logging and forest management areas are all open to third party and NGO scrutiny. Currently at least 800,000ha of Sabah’s forests are partially or fully certified under various internationally recognised system such as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council), MTCS (Malaysian Timber Certification Scheme) and PEFC (Pan European Forest Scheme). This included the 250,000ha of fully certified and 150,000ha of partially certified forest areas under the Sabah Foundation.
If Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman is corrupt, Sabah would be bankrupt by now.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, many more forest areas are being earmarked for certification as Sabah has set 2014 as the year for all long-term licensed areas to be fully certified.The process of certification means independent third party is on the ground auditing to assess credibility.
If Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman is corrupt, Sabah would be bankrupt by now.
ReplyDeleteMusa has created model forest centre and ensured that the forest in Sabah will never be “raped” like in the past by unscrupulous people. At the same time, there has been a consistent effort to educate everyone involve in the timber industry about good forest practices without disturbing the forest.This endeavor, carried out silently, is about to bear fruits now, an indication that Sabah’s forest are well run. And the spill-over effect is evident by the wildlife corridor linking Maliau Basin, Imbak Canyon to Danum/Ulu Segama and the re-classification of Ulu Segama (130,000ha) to total protected status.
If Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman is corrupt, Sabah would be bankrupt by now.
ReplyDeleteAs The Duke of Cambridge Prince William and Lady Catherine Middleton prepares for a visit to Danum Valley on the 15th of September, a testament to their longstanding interest in conservation, we should perhaps see this as an indication that the rumours of deforestation and illegal logging is not true. Why would Musa allow the Royal couple into Sabah if the home to some of the last remaining areas of tropical rainforest in South East Asia were indeed in dire straits?
If Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman is corrupt, Sabah would be bankrupt by now.
ReplyDeleteIn fact, Sabah has been uniquely placed in Malaysia’s context. Given its good forest practices, pressure on forest is intense. Timber revenue was a major source of livelihood in absence of industrialisation. Perhaps Sabah stands out as a paradox in the Malaysia Shining story. Still the state has been consistently growing at the rate of over 8 percent, one of the highest in the country. There is no doubt that much of this growth comes from the state spending on social welfare schemes and building up of infrastructure.
If Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman is corrupt, Sabah would be bankrupt by now.
ReplyDeleteBy economic standards, Sabah virtually offers an inverted model of growth inconsistent with the overall growth narrative. Musa aman has been making all-out efforts to inject buoyancy in rural market by improving agriculture and tourism. Perhaps he seems to be aware of his handicap that the timber from the forest is getting too scarce and priced to be given for industrial growth. That is why he has been insisting on reducing the dependence on timber to save the forest for future generations. Similarly he turns to be an environmentalist when it comes to allotment of mining rights in and around Maliau Basin.
If Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman is corrupt, Sabah would be bankrupt by now.
ReplyDeleteSabah is firm that no mining activities should take place in first class forest reserves and protected areas such as the Maliau Basin in the south central part of the state. “No mining can be allowed in Maliau Basin,” he told Datuk Lim Keng Yaik when requested him to open coal mining to give fillip to growth. And then the Sabah government’s decision to bar any development on the seafront totalling 1,555ha from Tanjung Aru to Likas Bay through the Land Ordinance (Amendment) 2012 Bill, approved by the state assembly in July 2012, was a significant and bold move, and motivated by the need to protect the marine ecosystem.
If Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman is corrupt, Sabah would be bankrupt by now.
ReplyDeleteOn the face of it, Sabah appears to be posting a growth which is not sustainable if one believes in prescriptions of neoliberal economists. But there are enough straws in the wind to suggest that Sabah is on the cusp of defying this theory and evolve a new model which may be far more inclusive and environment-friendly than the existing models. If Musa Aman’s growth story proves to be true, this innovative model is bound to fuel an intense political and economic debate in the country.
If Chief Minister of Sabah, Datuk Seri Panglima Musa Aman is corrupt, Sabah would be bankrupt by now.
ReplyDeleteSo the allegations are therefore baseless and made with bad intention to discredit the sacrifices made by Musa Aman’s state government to achieve good forest governance and SFM [sustainable forest management] in the shortest time possible, despite the economic financial and social challenges.