KOTA KINABALU: Former Chief Minister Yong Teck Lee wants the state Barisan Nasional government to explain how its investment arm had lost RM114 million in a share-swap deal that went sour 12 years ago.
Yong said Resource Development and Information Technology Minister Dr Yee Moh Chai who questioned the massive loss when he was an opposition parliamentarian in 1998 is the best person to explain the Warisan Harta Sabah Sdn Bhd-North Borneo Timber Berhad share swap issue.
The controversial deal which was made over 12 years ago was resurrected this week when Warisan Harta CEO Rahman Ghani revealed last Monday that the state government's investment arm was just recovering from the calamitous investment.
Yong, the Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) president, who was the CM at the time the deal was signed, wants Yee to launch a fresh investigation into the background of the share-swap.
“I assume he (Yee) thinks he has evidence of wrong doings committed by me as Chief Minister," said Yong.
He warned that under Malaysia’s anti-corruption laws, it is an offence to conceal evidence of corruption.
“Yee, who is a minister now, has a duty to provide such evidence to the authorities. If he withholds evidence from the MACC, he is committing an offence.
"But if he has no evidence against me, then he has been lying for the last 12 years. Now, he has to make up his mind,” he said.
“Yee was personally digging for incriminating facts all over the places from Kota Kinabalu to Kuala Lumpur.
"Obviously, he did not succeed in getting any incriminating information about me because there was none. If he had any incriminating information against me, would he hold back?” asked Yong.
He was responding to Yee’s statement on Wednesday that since Yong was the chief minister at the time he should know the facts behind Warisan Harta, instead of passing the buck to him (Yee).
Yong also said that he remembered during the period of the 1998 court case on the so-called NBT-Warisan Harta Sdn Bhd issue, Yee and four other unidentified individuals had gone to the extent of harassing a company official and a police report had been lodged.
The truth about the legal suit
Yong is now accusing Yee of not telling the truth over the discontinuance of the previous court proceedings involving him and the latter.
“Yee has tried to make it seem he has nothing to do with the discontinuance and that I had unilaterally withdrawn the case,” he said.
He produced copies of the notes of proceedings which had been made available by the judge to both parties, which clearly indicated that both parties had mutually agreed not to continue with the proceedings.
Yong noted that prior to discontinuance of the court proceedings, discussions were held in the judge’s chambers and outside.
“Court litigation is a time consuming, tiring and costly affair. It is always my last option. But Yee’s personal attacks against me were so ferocious and malicious that I had no choice but to seek legal recourse to clear my name and defend my reputation,” he said.
Yee and Yong, once Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS) colleagues, have a history of accusation and litigation against each other.
Between 1998 and 2000, three cases were heard in High Court. The first was when Yong sued Yee in 1998 over his allegation on the share-swap.
Yong again sued Yee for accusing him of covering up the presence of phantom voters in the elections and then for distributing election leaflets with caricatures of Yong distributing illegal ICs.
In January 1998, the Sabah Anti-Corruption Agency announced that it was investigating the RM72 million loss by Warisan Harta after it had bought three million North Borneo Timber Berhad shares.
ACA director Shahar Abdul Rahman confirmed that Yee, the then Tanjung Aru MP had had questioned the losses in his report lodged with the state ACA.
"We are now looking into the matter, and will take the appropriate action," he said.
21 comments:
The way i see it, Yong is the one who should explain the whole situation, since he was the Chief Minister at the time when the share swap was done...
YTL..why must you want to blame other. May be YMC already had some evident but only wait for the right time to shows it.....
YMC will not issue statement this if no evidence. he must have that evidence. he will show that evidence later.
this matter prove the YTL cannot administer Sabah nicely.
Geezzz~~~ YTL and his publicity stunt..boring. Yong should have brought that case to court when it happened..instead he drop the case..
blaming the others for his own failure and spinning the issue cannot let YTL free from his responsibility..he should give an explanation and not by sweeping it under a carpet..
he will accuse the others to cover his mistakes...
he will try to divert the attention of the public to save himself or to make the public forget that he is actually the real offender.
Yong no need to blame other, YMC have the evidence, he will show the evidence later. so wait je la..
Yup...Yong you are the man who knows everything....don't try to turn around to find someone ("Black Sheep"...) you would never find coz you are the one to be blame for all these mess....
YTL you don't try to past you fault to other k. that why you don't have anything change development for sabah in you CM before. don't blame other.
Trying to shift the blame on others. Gotv, since he challenge you to reopen files, please do accept his challenge and probe into it.
sometimes kita kena siasat juga samada perkara yang diuar-uarkan oleh YTL ni betul atau tidak atau bertujuan fitnah atau semata-mata ingin membuktikan sesuatu pada rakyat?
kehilangan duit berbillion ringgit ni menunjukkan sikap para pemimpin Sabah terdahulu yang amat tidak boleh dipercayai! kepentingan rakyat tidak dijaga dan bagi mereka duit adalah segala-galanya
YTL, masa isu itu berlaku kenapa berdiam diri? adakah anda dalam posisi sukar untuk mempertahankan kebenaran atau takut kedudukan istimewa anda sebagai CM pada masa tersebut tergugat?
pada masa anda disabitkan kesalahan berhubung isu politik wang, adakah segala isu yang dikeluarkan sekarang ni bertujuan membalas dendam? it is time to do something more useful rather than pint pointing at something useless and immature
If YTL felt he was not guilty but why he could not explain the losses as he was the CM during that time. Why should YMC? I think the higher position should explain and I feel YTL really know what is going on during the share-swap deal. It is impossible he (YTL) have no idea what is going on. So, he is not capable doing the right thing and no responsibility at all. It is good for (YTL) step down earlier if only we knew it.
Sudah2 lah tu YTL.. Macam bikin curiga pula niatnya ni lama2.. adii
Time jadi CM, diam-diam... sekarang baru mau bising, tunding jari lagi tu. aduii na YTL juga pelakon komedi politik. hehehe
Kalau ada bukti, mungkinlah boleh diterima tapi ni... makin YTL bersuara makin ramai pula yang merasakan YTL ni mahu lepas t/jawab dgn meletakkan kesalahan di bahu org lain.. hhmm..
Mungkin juga lah kan villager. Tapi jangan risau rakyat tahu buat penilaian ba.. So apapun yg YTL mahu buat, pedulilah... yang penting rakyat tidak terpengaruh dgn gimik ni.
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