Kota Kinabalu: Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) Wira Chief Dato' Mohd Azis Jamman and two Sabah Umno divisional youth chiefs – Tawau's Ariffin Kassim and Tenom's Jamawi Jaafar – were the latest to be detained over the alleged misappropriation of RM1.5 billion public funds linked to the Rural and Regional Development Ministry. Warisan Sec-Gen. Loretto Padua Jr confirmed that Mohd Azis was detained at 5pm at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office and that an application for remand at the Magistrate Court will be made on Tuesday (Oct 10). Azis was on Sunday reported to have been picked up by the MACC at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport here at 9pm. He was released at about 10.45pm and told to return to the MACC office at 10.30am on Monday.
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Members of the media had earlier started gathering outside the MACC office, some as early as 9.30am on Monday with hopes of getting some updates on the matter. After six hours they were informed that the youth chief was no longer at the premises and had been brought to another place at just over 2pm.
"Let MACC do their job, investigations or whatever necessary," said Warisan counsel Norazmi Alimat who is also Sepanggar Warisan Wira Chief. "I was together with him before the interrogation process started. I was there on behalf of my client, I pray that the investigations will be done accordingly and I also understand that I cannot interfere with anything," he said.
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Earlier, MACC chief commissioner Dzulkifli Ahmad told reporters in Kuala Lumpur that another arrest in connection to the probe was imminent. "We will call anyone whom we feel can help with the investigations. And so far, based on the information we received, after the Watergate (the Sabah Water Department case of last year) case, we have received a lot of information relating to (current investigations). We are focussing our efforts into this case."
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Azis, a former Semporna Umno Youth chief, left the party in 2015 and joined Warisan when Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, a former Umno vice-president, formed the party in 2016.Shafie had led the Rural and Regional Development Ministry before he was sacked in 2015's cabinet reshuffle that also saw Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin dropped as deputy prime minister.The sacking was preceded by months of both men questioning Prime Minister Najib Razak over the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal.Last Thursday, a Warisan Vice-President, a 54-year-old businessman and a assistant secretary of the ministry were detained and remanded by MACC.
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Azam said the figure in the latest case had ballooned to a staggering RM1.5 billion.He said investigators believe a network of 60 companies had colluded with Rural and Regional Development Ministry officials to pocket the money, which was part of the RM7.5 billion allocated to Sabah from 2010 to 2016 for water and electricity supply projects. - Sherell Jeffrey
