A party official said the sale was made last year but that the new owner allowed the party to occupy the premises until the 13th General Election was over.
It has since moved to alternative premises at Taman Antarabangsa in Likas.
"SAPP sold the building to pay off the RM1 million damages plus costs to Harris following an order by the High Court for immediate payment," the party official told Daily Express.
This is the first time in Sabah's political history that a party had been forced to sell its headquarters in order to settle a defamation suit.
The party headquarters occupied several units of the three-storey building which in its heyday helped to portray Luyang, an overwhelming Chinese constituency, as its bastion.
The party was formed just before the 1994 general election when Yong decided to leave Parti Bersatu Sabah over differences with the PBS leadership. At the height of its power, Yong was also appointed the second Chinese Chief Minister under the two-year rotation system.
However, the party's political fortunes took a beating following its withdrawal from the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition soon after the 2008 general election.
Party President Yong Teck Lee, himself, lost when he contested the Batu Sapi parliamentary by-election in Sandakan, in what was seen by political analysts as an unwise move. In the GE13th in May, this year, the party failed to win back any of its two parliamentary and two state seats it won in 2008.
Yong, himself, lost the Likas State seat to a political novice from fellow opposition, DAP, while the latter also successfully wrested the Luyang State seat out of SAPP's hands. This enabled the DAP to now position itself as the undisputed kings of the urban Chinese seats.
Some critics held that SAPP should have sensed the mood of the Sabah urban electorate to move along with the peninsula clamour for strengthening the evolution of a two-party system.
SAPP's belief was that it could still get Sabahans' backing for a "third force" that would be aligned to neither the Barisan Nasional or the opposition Pakatan Rakyat alliance.
In 2010, Harris had filed a defamation suit seeking RM50 million damages from Yong as first defendant and SAPP as second defendant for allegedly insinuating that he (Harris) was involved in causing the "Double Six" tragedy that killed first CM Tun Fuad Stephens and 10 others on the aircraft on June 6, 1976.
In February last year, the High Court ordered Yong to pay RM1 million plus costs to Harris for defamation.
Subsequently, Yong appealed against the decision, and the verdict from the Court of Appeal will be known today (Monday).
"If Yong wins the case, it means Harris has to return the RM1million to us," said the party official.
MAKES YOU SICK- PAY FOR TELLING THE TRUTH-
ReplyDeleteBut why should Yong have to pay the money when the case was on appeal?
many more serious things they will delay for so long, like RCI, and Altantuya, but for this they are very fast!
ReplyDeletehaloo bro.. is it the same case?? use your mind before speak bro..
Deletebankrap sudah rupanya si Yong dan SAPP ni.. patutlah tidak aktif sudah.. PRU13 yang lalu pun kalah disemua kerusi.. macam mana ni..
ReplyDeletebagus si Yong kasi bubar sajalah SAPP.. apa gunanya berpolitik kalau tidak ada dana? macam mana mahu bantu rakyat? salah si Yong juga sebab terlampau taksub mau tuduh2 orang..
ReplyDeletebetullah cakap beberapa ahli politik sebelum ini bahawa SAPP hanyalah parti nyamuk yang bertujuan untuk mengacau undi.. itulah kau yong.. dibagi betis, mau juga paha.. sekarang terpaksa berputih mata..
ReplyDeleteinilah kes paling sesuai untuk dijadikan pengajaran buat semua pemimpin2 politik di sabah.. kalau mahu membela nasib rakyat, tidak perlulah buat2 cerita atau menabur fitnah.. turun padang dan cari apa masalah rakyat yang perlu diketengahkan..
ReplyDelete