KOTA KINABALU, June 30 — Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Jeffrey Kitingan has denied claims that he received RM1.78 million linked to a mining scandal in Sabah.
He said the allegation, published by a news portal, was baseless and politically motivated by his critics in an attempt to destabilise, smear and topple the current Sabah government, Berita Harian reported today.
“I have never received any funds related to mining applications or any alleged scandal,” he was quoted as saying.
He described the allegation as a fabrication by desperate political players trying to interfere with Sabah politics.
“This is a tactic that has been used since the 1960s,” he said.
Kitingan, who is also Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (STAR) president, said his party has never applied for any mining licence nor was it involved in any mining activities.
He described himself as a supporter of the Nature Conservation Agreement (NCA), adding that mining goes against STAR’s conservation stance.
Kitingan said he and party members are fully cooperating with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and have submitted detailed statements to aid its investigations.
“This is the price we pay in our struggle to reclaim Sabah’s rights,” he was quoted as saying.
Kitingan also claimed that earlier statements by whistleblowers had cleared STAR and Parti Bersatu Sabah of wrongdoing.
As such, he said he will take all available legal action over what he described as malicious and false accusations.
This includes legal action against the news portal that published the report.
“We expect more false allegations and slander.
“It would not be surprising if certain parties try to exploit this to shift Sabah’s political landscape,” he was quoted as saying.
