KOTA KINABALU, Oct 11 — Sabah Opposition leader Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal has refuted claims of being involved in a controversial land deal on Pulau Balambangan in Kudat which has also implicated current Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
The former chief minister said he has initiated a lawsuit against allegations that he was involved in the matter.
“Even though I am no longer the chief minister, my name has been wrongfully associated with this deal by various political leaders in Sabah.
“I want to make it clear that I categorically deny any involvement or wrongdoing in this case,” he said in a statement today.
The Semporna MP said he has taken legal measures to refute the allegations and sent a letter of demand to those involved.
“I have engaged a lawyer who has filed a lawsuit against those who have linked my name to this land deal.
“Moreover, a letter of demand has already been served to these individuals,” he said.
Shafie did not mention the individuals in the statement, but it was learnt that the suit was intended for Assistant Minister to the Chief Minister Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, who recently in defending Hajiji, had implicated Shafie in the controversy.
“The Facebook site which alleges the businessman involved depicts him as having a close relationship with Hajiji, but the businessman is also seen to be close to former Warisan chief minister Datuk Shafie Apdal before this,” Nizam had said in a statement issued two days ago.
Nizam, who is Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah information chief, said that whoever published the post on “Edisi Panas Sabah” was trying to smear Hajiji’s name.
Hajiji has also refuted allegations that he was involved in the dubious approval of a 968-hectare land deal in Pulau Balambangan in the northern district of Kudat and said that the land applications in question had undergone proper procedure and the allegations were politically motivated in order to discredit him.
