Rare earth mining probe almost done, MACC to summon Sanusi soon

Last month, Azam Baki said that MACC did not call up Sanusi Nor (right) to give his statement at the time as the agency was pursuing some fresh leads.

PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will soon summon Kedah menteri besar Sanusi Nor over the alleged corruption and illegal rare earth elements mining (REE) in the state.

MACC chief Azam Baki said Sanusi may be called in either this week or the next, pending a decision by investigating officers handling the case, Utusan Malaysia reported.

“The investigation papers related to the REE issue are in the final stages of completion, so we will summon him for some clarification,” he was quoted as saying.

“MACC’s investigation into the REE issue is comprehensive, covering aspects of governance and the laws related to REE, as well as examining the system and standard operating procedures (SOP).”

In July, Azam was reported to have said that his officers were tracking down several foreigners from China as witnesses who had invested in the mining activities. At the time, he said Sanusi would be summoned next.

However, on Aug 9, Azam said MACC had delayed calling up Sanusi to give his statement as it had received fresh leads to focus on.

So far, 12 witnesses have already provided statements to the anti-graft agency to assist with ongoing investigations. - FMT