KOTA KINABALU: Police are investigating two viral videos that allegedly defame Kuamut assemblyman Datuk Masiung Banah and Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.
According to a Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah Youth leader, Willy Frous Darinsok, at least four police reports have been lodged over the matter, two in Sandakan and one each in Penampang and Kota Kinabalu.
Darinsok said the videos, shared on social media since Friday (Aug 9), were uploaded by individuals who, he claims, aimed to humiliate the two leaders involved.
He also said the spread of the videos was politically motivated.
The 2-minute 57-second video accused Masiung, the Chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Board (LPPB), of taking RM2mil from the board's new project.
Darinsok, who is also one of the officials at LPPB, denied the accusations, saying that Masiung did not have the executive authority to approve or demolish the old building because it required the approval of the State Cabinet.
Additionally, Darinsok said Masiung, who is Gagasan Rakyat vice president, was accused of evicting the residents of Tanjung Aru flats without following legal procedures.
“The Tanjung Aru Flat building is more than 50 years old. We have received a report from the Public Works Department (JKR) and the consultant that the dilapidated building structure is unsafe to live in,” he said.
Darinsok said the LPPB has issued a notice of eviction since early 2021, and residents have had ample time to move.
He claimed that most of those who refused to move had high rent arrears and did not make monthly rent payments, but now, only about 100 families remain.
“We have detailed records because some residents refuse to move even though they have been offered LPPB houses elsewhere,” he said.
Sandakan Acting OCPD Supt Ramasamy Kuppan confirmed two police reports were made and said investigations are ongoing.
“A probe is being conducted under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998,” he said.
He urge the public to refrain from speculating on this case and to not spread unverified information
Meanwhile, another individual, Kamarudin Mahalil, lodged a police report at the Seguntur Police Station in Sandakan regarding another video.
He said a 1-minute 35-second viral video linked Masiung and Hajiji to the Clinker and Cement factory project in Tongod district.
The video alleged that the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) raided the house of the Kuamut Representative in connection with the Clinker and Cement factory issue.
According to sources from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), there are no probes regarding the two claims mentioned in the two videos.
