KOTA KINABALU, Nov 20 — Under pressure to clarify accusations arising from an ongoing whistleblowing saga, Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor said the motives behind the claims were clearly politically driven.
He described the circumstances surrounding the saga as suspicious, noting that one of his accusers was himself guilty of breaching procedures and abusing his power while serving as CEO of the Sabah Mineral Management (SMM).
“I cannot accuse anyone here, but to me, this is political — an attempt to tarnish the government’s image and mine as Chief Minister,” he said, responding to a question from Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal during the State Assembly sitting today.
Hajiji explained that in the approval process for prospecting licences (PLs), the decision must come from the board of directors during a meeting.
“The former CEO, based on what SMM officers have said, made decisions on his own. The directors made a decision, but he wrote a letter and personally approved a PL for certain companies...” he said, referring to former CEO Jontih Enggihon, who was seen in a video accusing Hajiji of abuse of power.
Hajiji confirmed that both the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the police had been informed of the alleged wrongdoing, adding that it was up to them to investigate the matter.
SMM has also filed a report with MACC after an internal investigation uncovered significant breaches of fiduciary duties, alleged fraudulent activities, misrepresentation to the board, and misconduct by Enggihon.
Enggihon recently made headlines for accusing Hajiji of abuse of power in relation to SMM, after a video surfaced detailing the incident.
However, his allegations prompted the Sabah government to report the matter to MACC, citing alleged misconduct during his tenure as SMM CEO.
“I don’t want to go into details here. Let them investigate fairly and find the truth — who is wrong, what the motive is, and how this happened,” Hajiji said.
“I’ve said it before, I have nothing to hide. I see lots of games at play here,” he added.
Hajiji told the State Assembly that a total of 26 PLs had been issued, with two withdrawn, one cancelled, and four expired.
“That leaves 19 currently active, and they are only valid for prospecting, not mining. There is no money involved yet,” he explained.
A series of videos taken without the subjects' knowledge has been released by the news portal Malaysiakini, raising suspicion of corruption involving Hajiji and his government, as well as several assemblymen and Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Shahelmy Yahya.
However, there has been significant backlash over the credibility of the whistleblower and his motives, particularly after he admitted to offering bribes to the assemblymen in question.
