Sabah Mineral Management Hauls Ex Ceo Third Party To Court

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Sabah Mineral Management (SMM) Sdn Bhd has initiated legal proceedings against its ex-CEO Jontih Enggihon, who has made accusations of misconduct and abuse of power against his successor and Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.
According to Borneo Post yesterday, the legal action seeks redress over “fraud, breach of fiduciary duties and confidentiality, tampering with official documents, conspiracy to injure by unlawful means, and potential collusion with third parties”.
Also implicated is an external third party, Tei Jiann Chieng, who is also known as Albert Tei.
Pledging to maintain the highest standards of corporate governance and to remain accountable to the state and the people, SMM said the legal action is to safeguard its interests, as well as the state government and the people of Sabah.
“Reports regarding the misconduct involving SMM’s former CEO, along with potential collusion with third parties, have also been lodged with relevant enforcement agencies, including the police and the MACC, to support broader investigations into the matter and compliance with regulatory obligations,” said SMM.
The report stated that Jontih (above) and Tei have been served legally in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu respectively.
Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji NoorLast November, Malaysiakini published a video in which Jontih alleged that Hajiji, who is the chairperson of SMM, favoured certain people.
“There were numerous decisions which I disagreed with. Made me stressed. Have to follow this and that because of politics,” he complained.
Following this, a report was lodged with MACC against Jontih, accusing him of abusing his power.
Investigations into Jontih
On Nov 18, Jontih’s successor Natasha Sim announced that SMM would initiate legal action against the former CEO for allegedly acting beyond his authority to benefit “entities with potential conflict of interest.”
She said SMM carried out an internal investigation which purportedly revealed breaches of fiduciary duties, alleged fraudulent activities, misrepresentation, or deception to SMM’s board of directors and misconduct by Jontih.
On Dec 4, Jontih, who denied the allegations and asserted he has evidence to back his claims against the chief minister and successor, said that he would file a RM30 million suit against Sim.
On Tuesday, MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki said investigations into Jontih and the whistleblower who released a slew of videos have been completed and the findings have been submitted to the deputy public prosecutor.
He said the commission has also wrapped up its investigation into the videos revealed by the whistleblower, who alleged that he had bribed several assemblypersons in exchange for mineral exploration licences. - Mkini

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