Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Umno Deputy head Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan said those still disputing Tun Musa Aman’s appointment as the new Sabah Governor to refer to the decision of the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), Hong Kong, which found there was actually no case to proceed.
This is in relation to the disputed 44 alleged corruption and money laundering charges which were suddenly resurrected during the first Pakatan Harapan federal government despite the ICAC findings, before finally being dropped by the Perikatan Nasional federal government led by Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
“Because previously, an opposition member of parliament at the time, had made the same corruption complaint against Musa to the ICAC.
ICAC is one of the most respected anti-corruption agencies on the international stage.
“According to Transparency International, an independent international body that functions to monitor and combat corruption worldwide, the reputation and professionalism of ICAC’s work has become the gold standard for anti-corruption agencies worldwide.
“No one dares to accuse ICAC of being influenced by unseen hands because ICAC has credibility that is difficult to dispute.
“The ICAC conducted a detailed investigation including in Malaysia into the accusations of the opposition member and found there was no case against Musa,” he said in a statement.
The Umno Supreme Council member said there are several quarters who still dispute the appointment of Musa, claiming there are “unseen hands” influencing the decisions of the court, MACC and Attorney General.
"This is a rather serious accusation because they indirectly dispute the wisdom of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong who appointed Musa as the new TYT (Tuan Yang Terutama).
“Every Malaysian has the right to express his opinion and is protected by the laws of the country as long as it does not contain elements of slander, violate the law and does not incite, especially against the Royal Institution.
“We welcome any effort to combat corruption and abuse of power for the future of our country. The idealism to champion issues involving public interest needs to be supported so that it can be a catalyst for the well-being of Malaysians.
“To assess whether these serious allegations are true or not, our main reference is to the decisions made by the court, MACC and Attorney General. These three entities have released Musa from corruption charges,” he said.
Abdul Rahman, who is also Sabah Umno Tuaran Division Chief, stressed that the Agong, Prime Minister and Sabah Chief Minister were not involved in the decision to release Musa of the charges in June 2020.
“All three had not even taken up their positions at that time. I am sure that the release of Musa by these three entities has been the main basis for the vetting or strict screening process that was carried out by the Istana before announcing the appointment of Musa as TYT.
“Another basis that is taken into account is of course Musa’s service as Chief Minister and the impressive development achievements of Sabah during his administration,” he said.
Musa, 73, will take up his appointment as Sabah’s 11th governor from Jan 1. His term will last until Dec 31, 2028. The former five-term chief minister succeeds Juhar Mahiruddin, who retires on Dec 31.
In June 2020, the High Court freed Musa of 46 charges of corruption and money laundering in relation to timber concessions in Sabah.
Takiyuddin Hassan, a minister in the Prime Minister’s Department at the time, told the Dewan Rakyat the case against Musa was dropped after the Attorney-General’s Chambers received representations filed the previous month.
He said the ICAC had also confirmed in a letter dated Dec 22, 2011 that its investigation into Musa was complete and would not continue, based on the facts known.
