Sabah leaders also on blacklist
Published on: Saturday, May 19, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: Several Sabah politicians from Barisan Nasional, parliamentary officials as well as businessmen connected to the previous administration are on the Immigration Department's blacklist pending investigations into alleged corrupt practices, among others, Daily Express can reveal.The new Pakatan Harapan Government under Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad have barred them from leaving the country, similar to the action against former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib and his wife who were prevented from leaving for holiday in Indonesia following BN's defeat in the GE14 last Wednesday.However, the sources would not reveal their identities.
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"It is under the purview of Putrajaya Immigration but those who have been banned from leaving the country will know their fate when they show up at the immigration counter at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport or any other airport in the country."They can also check their travel status online in the Immigration portal (http://sspi2.imi.gov.my/) by keying their MyKad number. For those not barred from leaving the country, the status will appear as "Tiada Halangan" (No restriction)," he said.Recently, new Chief Minister Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal said big contracts given out by the previous State Government would come under scrutiny. He said any action to be taken would be based on facts and not hearsay."The relevant federal authorities would investigate and if they find any abuse of power or corrupt practices, action would be taken," he had said.
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Among them are contracts for timber concessions under Yayasan Sabah as well as long-term road maintenance and Water Department deals, among others.The move was in line with Parti Warisan Sabah's campaign promise to clean up the state administration and put in place a more transparent system of government within the next few months, Shafie, who is also Warisan President, said. There were complaints that some contracts between private enterprise and the State were extremely long term, spanning 20 or 25 years.
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Shafie was sworn in last Saturday, barely 24 hours after Musa was also sworn in. Musa initially claimed a 31-seat majority in the 60-member State Assembly and was sworn but lost his number 24-hour later after Shafie, with the support of 35 assemblyman, was sworn in by Head of State Tun Juhar Mahiruddin.On Thursday, Musa filed a writ of summons against Juhar and Shafie, seeking a declaration that he is the lawful Chief Minister and the swearing in of Shafie was unconstitutional. A dozen people linked to the 1MDB scandal have also been barred from leaving the country. The move was to ensure that the authorities could reach out to them immediately.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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