Ex-Sabah minister denies receiving RM500,000 in cash in office

Ex-Sabah minister denies receiving RM500,000 in cash in office

PETALING JAYA: Former Sabah infrastructure development minister Raymond Tan has denied receiving RM500,000 in cash in his ministry office in 2005.

Testifying in the Sabah water department corruption trial today, Tan denied the allegation made by the department’s former deputy director, Teo Chee Kong, who claimed the then minister had received the cash from Teo and another officer before discussing “allocations” collected from contractors.

Tan, who is also a former deputy chief minister, told the Kota Kinabalu sessions court that security protocols, CCTVs and ministry guidelines had rendered it impossible for gifts in the form of cash to be brought to his office.

Tan, who left Gerakan for Warisan in 2019, also said he had never heard of the “centralised collection scheme” that Teo had described in court, Daily Express reported.

He said he had never been grilled by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission over the alleged cash gift delivered by Teo and the other officer.

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He was testifying as a defence witness in the trial of former Sabah water department director Ag Tahir Ag Talib, his wife Fauziah Piut, and the department’s former deputy director, Lim Lam Beng @ Lim Chee Hong.

The trio had pleaded not guilty in 2019 to 37 counts of money laundering involving RM61.57 million and the unlawful possession of luxury items.

Tahir faces 11 charges, and Fauziah 19 under the Anti-Money Laundering Act. The couple is jointly charged on two counts while Tahir faces one other charge.

Lim, who faces four charges, is alleged to have been in possession of cash amounting to RM2.38 million between Oct 13 and Nov 8, 2016.