Transparency International Malaysia : AG must recuse self from Sabah logging scandal

Attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail has been asked by Transparency International Malaysia (TI-M) to recuse himself from deciding the prosecution of Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman on the ongoing logging scandal in the state.

This is because of possible conflict of interest as Gani is believed to be related to Musa through his (Gani's) wife, TI-M president Paul Low said.

"The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has completed its report on Musa, but no charge has been brought against him.

"It looks like Musa is related to Gani and therefore Gani should recuse himself and leave the decision on prosecution to others in the AG's Chambers," Low (right) said when contacted.

On Thursday, Sarawak Report revealed that it has in possession of leaked MACC documents showing investigators having concluded that Musa had corruptly issued logging licences worth tens of millions of ringgit to his brother, Foreign Minister Anifah Aman.

The London-based investigative journalism website also claimed that Gani has refused to allow charges to be filed against Musa and that the MACC investigation has been "blocked and its findings kept secret".

'Big fish cannot be spared'

Low called on the government to have the political will to prosecute people in high places as "rule of law applies to everyone".

The issuance of the timber licences itself, Low said, was fraught with weaknesses that went against good governance.

"The logging concession was given for a forest reserve, which should be exempted from logging or timber harvesting.

"If the government insists on giving it out for logging, then proper reasons must be given and accompanied with an open tender. I believe open tender was not done in this case," he said.

The issuance of licences to a relative, he said, further dented the principles of good governance.

"The government should get to the bottom of this case and deal with the concerns being expressed in order to uphold the rule of law if it is serious in combating corruption," Low added.

PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli has called on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to hold his cabinet minister accountable if he was involved in the scandal.

Musa has denied any involvement in any such timber scandal in Sabah, while younger brother Anifah has denied any knowledge about the MACC investigation.