Warisan Youth chief to give statement to MACC Monday morning

KOTA KINABALU - Parti Warisan Sabah (Warisan) Youth chief Azis Jamman has been given notice to come to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s office here tomorrow morning to record a statement in relation to the agency’s probe into alleged misappropriation of rural funds.

“Azis came to the MACC’s office at 10.30pm Sunday to give his details.

“He was given the notice to come again at 10.30am tomorrow,” Warisan deputy president Darell Leiking told FMT.

“At first, Azis had been requested to come to the MACC office at 9pm Sunday, but it was later postponed to 10.30pm as he was just at the airport to send off (Warisan president) Datuk Shafie Apdal.”

The MACC is in the midst of investigating some RM1.5 billion of rural development funds, allegedly siphoned off between 2009 and 2015.

MACC has detained three persons, including Warisan vice-president Peter Anthony, who is a close ally of Shafie, in the course of its probe.

Shafie, the rural and regional development minister during the said period, said he would give his full cooperation in the investigation if asked to do so.

Certain quarters have described the investigation and arrest as politically motivated but Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi denied this.

Azis was Semporna Umno Youth chief before leaving to join opposition party Warisan.

Shafie, the MP for Semporna, held the minister portfolio until 2015 when he was sacked following severe criticisms he made against 1MDB.