PUTRAJAYA, April 29 — The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission could call in retired civil servants as part of its investigation into the Raub durian land scandal in Pahang, Chief Commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki said today.
So far, no arrests have been made, Azam said, but he stressed that the probe could take time as the land encroachment issue dates back more than a decade.
We have a list but because the case goes back more than ten years, of course the civil servants (potentially involved) may be retired already, so this will be a challenge for my officers to do tracing and background checking,” he told reporters after officiating the South-east Asian Anti-Corruption Conference here.
The durian farm in question is now at the centre of a legal battle between the Pahang state government and some 180 Musang King farmers who are fighting against eviction.
The farmers had filed a suit to challenge the Pahang Barisan Nasional administration’s claim over the land, but the High Court in 2024 dismissed the judicial review application.
Just a month later, the farmers lost their appeal when the Appellate Court dismissed their application to return to the orchards to maintain the durian trees while awaiting the appeal outcome.
Azam said last week that the MACC’s probe into the Raub land encroachment case would centre on governance issues and allegations of corruption involving the state’s land and mines department.
The MACC had begun looking into the case since 2021, he said.
“We are looking thoroughly and we want to look into how it was possible that farmers could grow (the durian trees),” he said.
