Anwar says no ‘conclusive evidence’ in Sabah mining scandal, draws the red line at court charges

Anwar says no ‘conclusive evidence’ in Sabah mining scandal, draws the red line at court charges



Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said allegations involving Sabah leaders in senior government positions and mining licences are largely matters of perception, stressing that action will only be taken when there are substantive evidence or formal charges. — Bernama pic

Sunday, 16 Nov 2025 1:38 PM MYT


KOTA KINABALU, Nov 16 — Allegations involving Sabah leaders in senior government positions and mining licences are largely matters of perception, stressing that action will only be taken when there are substantive evidence or formal charges, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

Speaking to reporters, Anwar clarified that while public perceptions of corruption can arise, they do not automatically translate into wrongdoing.

“Allegations and perceptions — I do not count those. Once you are in office and there is evidence and you are charged, that is where I draw the red line,” he said.

“But in this case, there is no clear-cut proof. We can’t just say there are videos of nine people being given money. There is no compelling evidence of money transfers. They charge; I draw the line.


“But this is perception. I can only act where the facts are clear and charges have been laid,” he said.

The scandal involving the approval of valuable prospecting licences for minerals in the state implicated about a dozen of Sabah’s Gabungan Rakyat Sabah (GRS) assemblymen, who were alleged to have received sums of money to help fast‑track the approvals.

MACC said that the videos taken of conversations between the leaders and the businessman soliciting the licences were not credible proof.


Among those implicated in the scandal were three deputy chief ministers and the state finance minister.

Two assemblymen, Datuk Yusof Yacob and Datuk Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy, were charged in court in June for receiving bribes of RM200,000 and RM350,000 respectively. The two were dropped from the candidate line-up for this election.

The businessman in question, Datuk Albert Tei, was also charged.

Anwar said he took the matter seriously when it came to light, and that investigations, including those conducted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), returned no conclusive findings on the others.

“Without conclusive evidence, anyone can accuse anyone,” he said.

“In fact, people have accused me, they said my good friend Farhash got 70,000 acres of land in Sabah approved. I immediately called Hajiji, I did not call Farhash, but he said no, there was no approval,” said Anwar, adding that subsequent investigations by MACC also did not find anything.

Anwar, who is in town to help campaign for the 17th state election, emphasised his commitment to transparency, saying he does not want any perception that he or his allies are enriching themselves.

“I have worked very hard, waited decades for this responsibility, and I have something to prove,” he said.