THE Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has denied it has cleared the Sabah Water Department (JANS) of wrongdoing in its corruption investigation.

The agency also threatened to lodge police reports against online media users who said otherwise.

“The MACC wishes to stress that the allegation that the commission has found no element of corruption in JANS is absolutely untrue and that such an allegation has led to confusion,” it said in a statement today.

“The commission’s senior management is also considering lodging police reports against those spreading falsehoods on social media, so that legal action may be taken against them.

“We urge people not to twist facts and we are monitoring all social media outlets to ensure no one attempts to smear the reputation of the MACC,” it added.

The MACC said the allegations originated from social media, which were picked up by the commission last night.

On December 29, 2016, three people, including a former director and his wife, were charged with money laundering in the Kota Kinabalu Sessions Court. A hearing has been set for August 8.

Mohd Tahir Mohd Talib, 54, was charged with 12 counts of engaging in a transaction that involves proceeds of an unlawful activity under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001, and similarly acquiring, receiving, possessing, disguising, transferring, converting, exchanging, carrying, disposing of or using proceeds of an unlawful activity under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.

His wife Fauziah Piut, 51, and Lim Lam Beng, 62 were respectively charged with 23 similar counts under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, involving sums of money totalling RM4.6 million.

The defendants face a possible 15-year prison sentence a hefty fine, if found guilty.

Lim is a former department deputy director and suspended Sabah finance ministry adviser, according to media reports.

The director and deputy director were alleged to have awarded federal projects to 38 proxy companies.

The MACC arrested 24 people in connection to its investigation last October. Some RM190 million was seized by the department.

The MACC had said that it believed up to RM3.3 billion may have been siphoned from the department.

Among those questioned was former federal minister Shafie Apdal, who was serving as state rural and regional development minister when some of the alleged offences took place.

Shafie was dropped from the Cabinet in 2015 and subsequently resigned from Umno. He now leads the Sabah Heritage Party, a Sabah-based opposition party. – July 30, 2017.