Businessperson Albert Tei has unveiled another damning document involving Sabah Deputy Chief Minister I and Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) president Jeffrey Kitingan.
This time, he alleged that Kitingan (above, right) applied for a 30-year “occupation permit” to obtain a quarry licence covering 80ha within the Pulau Banggi forest reserve.
Tei (above, centre) claimed the alleged application was made through a letter dated Dec 6, 2022, issued by Kitingan’s ministry and personally signed by him, addressed to Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.
“The area applied for in the Pulau Banggi forest reserve is classified as a Class 1 forest reserve, which is fully protected.
“Conservation and protection of its species and habitats are prioritised, with the aim of safeguarding biodiversity, primary forest, and its ecosystem from any disturbance or destructive activity,” he said in a statement.
He added that in the alleged letter, Kitingan requested Hajiji’s support and consideration for the application.
Contacted for comment, the Star president replied: “I will respond to all this in a day or two after PMX’s (Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s) political visit.”
The alleged letter also contained a handwritten note and signature dated Dec 12, 2022, which read: “SUHB. Sila teliti, tiada halangan jika teratur (please review, no objection if in order).” SUHB refers to the secretary of natural resources.
Tei claimed the note belonged to Hajiji. Malaysiakini has also reached out to the chief minister’s office for comment.
According to Tei, his role was to provide a proxy company to formally submit the application to the Sabah Forestry Department. The company’s details were redacted in the copy furnished to Malaysiakini.
“The matter is still pending. No approval or rejection letter has been received to date,” he told Malaysiakini when quizzed on the status of the application.
Tei said he released the document in response to Kitingan’s denial that neither he nor his party leadership had ever been involved in mineral mining licence applications, while portraying himself as a “conservationist”.
‘Letter of support’
Yesterday, Tei exposed another document allegedly showing a letter of support from Kitingan for a sand mining licence application on Balambangan Island linked to his company. Kitingan declined to comment.
Tei had also released a video recording of his conversation with the Keningau MP, purportedly about the RM1.78 million he had given the veteran politician.
Kitingan said he could not recall the conversation, suggesting it may have been about political donations, and denied receiving money in exchange for mineral licences.
MACC subsequently questioned the Star president and his aide over the allegation. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.