KUALA LUMPUR: An important individual will be called in for questioning following new leads obtained into the illegal mining of Rare Earth Elements (REE) in Kedah, says Tan Sri Azam Baki.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner said an ongoing investigation has yielded new leads and investigators are checking them.
When asked whether caretaker Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Noor will be called up so that his statement could be recorded, Azam said any further action depends on the progress and outcome of the investigation.
“We still have not called up the Mentri Besar as we must scrutinise all the new statements that we have obtained,” he told reporters after attending a ceremony to mark the conclusion of a MACC training course yesterday.
It was previously reported that a Perbadanan Mentri Besar (MBI) chief executive officer has been detained with a company director over corruption and abuse of power in a probe over the theft of REE.
The two were detained by the MACC over the case, which allegedly involves bribes exceeding RM13mil.
According to sources, the suspects were arrested last month in Alor Setar and Kuala Lumpur.
“Mining activities carried out illegally by a company involved had received protection from certain authorities since 2020.
“In this regard, the investigation results detected that several payments amounting to over RM13mil were given to the companies involved as bribes to protect these illegal mining activities from 2020 to 2023,” the source said.
It added that the company owned by the woman is believed to have received approval to develop cloned rubber tree plantations (TLC) in Kedah in 2016.
“The project was to replant log clone rubber trees in the logging areas involved.
“In 2020, the same company applied to the Kedah state government to conduct rare earth element mining activities in the same area,” the source said.
The source also added that so far, no mining approval has been given by the state government.
The MACC previously opened an investigation paper in connection with allegations of abuse of power involving a Mentri Besar related to the illegal REE mining, which had resulted in huge losses for the state government.
Sources said the issue of illegal mining and loss of natural resources have been reported by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in March and residents of Bukit Enggang Sik, where illegal mining was conducted on a large scale before it was thwarted by the authorities.
In January, Kedah Umno also called on the MACC to investigate and reveal whether there was political intervention in the issue of stolen REE.
