Why Is Musa Aman S Appointment Controversial

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Social media lit up when news broke that Musa Aman had been appointed as the new governor of Sabah. The announcement reignited public discourse, with critics recalling statements made by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Pakatan Harapan leaders about Musa’s past controversies.
A video began circulating showing Anwar expressing shock at Musa’s 2020 acquittal of criminal charges related to timber concession contracts in Sabah. Musa had been accused of receiving US$63,293,924.88 (RM280 million) in kickbacks.
Ironically, Musa’s appointment coincides with allegations of corruption involving kickbacks for mining exploration licenses within the current state government.
In the video, Anwar lamented that the justice system seemed to operate on a “dua darjat” (two-tiered) principle, where a poor person might face imprisonment over hundreds of ringgit while others evade accountability for massive sums.
He even referenced the classic Malay movie “Dua Darjat” to underline his point.
Musa was initially charged during Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s tenure as prime minister of the Harapan government. However, his acquittal came after Muhyiddin Yassin took power.
Musa Aman at a Kuala Lumpur court complex in 2018The charge sheets against Musa in relation to alleged kickbacks detailed a network of individuals and proxies. The name Michael Chia Tien Foh appeared in 16 of them.
In 2006, Chia allegedly transferred US$20,329,828.16 to lawyer Richard Christopher Barnes. He was also accused of receiving US$7,632,397.87 in 13 tranches between 2004 and 2007 as kickbacks from logging contracts meant for Musa.
In 2009, Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) charged Chia with money laundering after he was caught at the Hong Kong International Airport carrying RM40 million in Singapore currency.
In 2012, Nazri Abdul Aziz, then de facto law minister, told Parliament that MACC had cleared Chia of any wrongdoing. He said that the RM40 million had in fact been political donations for Sabah Umno, not for Musa.
Charges dropped even before trial begins
The charges against Musa were dropped even before the matter went to trial.
ADSHis counsel Amer Hamzah Arshad claimed that the prosecution of Musa over the 46 charges amounted to mala fide (bad faith) and “political persecution” as the MACC and ICAC had back in 2011 decided not to charge Musa.
Amer further claimed that back then, the authorities decided not to prosecute Musa on the grounds that there was no element of corruption and the money was a political donation.
He alleged that this all changed after the 14th general election in May 2018, when Musa was charged in November of that same year.
Former attorney-general Idrus HarunThen attorney-general Idrus Harun said the case against Musa had become untenable after some witnesses were no longer able to testify and in light of an affidavit by his predecessor, Abdul Gani Patail.
“The former AG defended the decision taken in 2012 to take no further action against Musa as the investigation revealed the monies involved were political funding,” said Idrus.
From Sabah to London
Following the May 9, 2018 election, Musa was initially sworn in as Sabah’s chief minister on May 10, having secured a razor-thin majority.
However, six state assemblypersons from BN later signed statutory declarations (SDs) pledging their support for Shafie Apdal instead. The SDs were handed to then-governor Juhar Mahiruddin.
On May 12, Juhar requested Musa to resign but he refused. That night, Shafie was sworn in as chief minister.
Musa then filed a lawsuit against Juhar and Shafie. He sought a court declaration that he was the legitimate chief minister.
In November 2018, the High Court dismissed Musa’s lawsuit. The court ruled that Musa had lost the confidence of the majority in Sabah’s state legislative assembly when the six BN lawmakers defected to Shafie’s side. The court also affirmed that Shafie’s appointment as chief minister was lawful.
Juhar also lodged a police report against Musa, reportedly over alleged threats following the swearing-in of Shafie as chief minister.
Former Sabah chief minister Shafie ApdalMusa subsequently disappeared. Immigration authorities reported no record of him leaving the country. It later emerged that Musa and his family had absconded to London.
Musa denied claims of illegal departure, and a photograph posted by his aide showed him in hospital attire on a stretcher, purportedly returning to Malaysia against medical advice.
DAP on the offensive
That same year, Sabah DAP lodged a police report against Musa, urging investigations into 81 alleged corruption offences.
In 2020, ahead of the Sabah election, DAP chairperson Lim Guan Eng called on the MACC to probe claims that Musa had awarded 700,000 acres of Sabah forest reserve land to his “friends and family.”
Lim described the allocation as “a gargantuan land grab”, equivalent to nearly three times the size of Penang.
Musa served as Sabah’s chief minister from 2003 to 2018. His political career began in the early 1990s, playing a pivotal role in Umno’s expansion into Sabah.
This move consolidated the party’s power in the state but also marked the beginning of a career mired in allegations of corruption and controversies.
The narrative surrounding Musa’s political journey remains divisive, with his recent appointment as governor drawing sharp criticism and renewed scrutiny of his contentious past. - Mkini

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