Sabah Reps Claim Vindication After Macc Finds Videos Inadmissible

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Several assemblypersons in the alleged Sabah corruption scandal claimed they were vindicated after the MACC chief commissioner said the released videos were inadmissible as evidence.
A report by Sinar Harian today quoted Sindumin assemblyperson Yusof Yacob saying the matter should no longer be an issue.
“It has been resolved, so it is correct (that it is slander). Who else are we going to believe? Previously, I have said we will leave it to the MACC and the MACC has made the announcement, so the accusations and negative interpretations have been addressed.
“So, there is no longer an issue, we go to work as usual. I don’t want to talk about it any more. We want to work, we want to close the case.
“Yes (clear our names), we have all said from the beginning that we know this is (slander). It’s just because the word bribery was mentioned, so I said go ahead and investigate and now it has been proven,” Yusof (above) was quoted as saying.
He claimed those who still raise the issue have “toxic, vengeful, vindictive” thinking.
“So, people should judge who are the leaders who have such toxic thinking. People want leaders who are rational, have foresight. We want the people to come together to develop, not to poison people into something irrational,” he said.
Meanwhile, the same report by Sinar Harian also quoted Kemabong assemblyperson Rubin Balang saying he had done nothing wrong, as during the discussions, he did not take any money including through any agents.
Kemabong assemblyperson Rubin Balang“(I’m) grateful that the authorities have found no wrongdoing or lack of integrity in the videos. So, all Malaysians can see what has been done to us is evil.
“It is hoped that this will not happen again in the future, and I’m confident that the MACC has performed its duties,” he reportedly said.
On Sunday, Azam said the videos available to the MACC so far - which are eight videos provided by a whistleblower and subsequently published by Malaysiakini - could not be used in the investigation or court because they were edited.
The videos implicated multiple Sabah assemblypersons over allegedly taking bribes from the whistleblower. However, Azam said the whistleblower has yet to provide the MACC with any evidence thus far.
Probe ongoing
Despite Yusof and Rubin’s claims of being exonerated, however, Azam had said the investigation is still ongoing and the MACC had recently recorded the statements of five individuals including a politician.
Following Azam’s statement, the whistleblower’s lawyer Shafee Abdullah yesterday challenged Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor and the implicated assemblypersons to lodge a police report against his client.
He questioned Azam’s dismissal of the videos as being edited.
Still image from a video provided by a whistleblower“‘Edited’ is a broad term. Is MACC claiming these videos were manipulated? Or are they just referring to my client’s voice being altered for anonymity?” Shafee asked.
“If they were truly doctored, why wait? The police should launch an investigation immediately. Arrest him. I guarantee he will hand over all the evidence he has,” he added. - Mkini

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