Crimes, tragedy and scandal that rock Sabah

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Catamaran tragedy

Eight people, including seven from China, perished after the catamaran they boarded with 20 other tourists and crewmen capsized off Pulau Mengalum on Jan 28 – the first day of the Chinese New Year.

The vessel with 28 tourists and three crew members left the jetty in Tanjung Aru around 9am that day and was scheduled to arrive at Mengalum Island some two hours later – it never made it as it was struck by strong waves due to the bad weather some eight nautical miles off the island.

The skipper and a crewman were rescued by fishermen off Kudat the following morning and the incident was immediately related to the authority.

A search and recover (SAR) operation was launched, involving the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), the Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) Air Wing Unit.

The SAR team managed to rescue 20 tourists, but they also found three bodies. Five people, including a 10-year-old child and a second crewman, were never found. The SAR operation also extended into Sarawak waters, off Miri.

A week into the tragedy, the SAR team found a woman’s body stuck in a fishing net belonging to a local fishing crew near Semarang areas, at 9.25am on Feb 4.

The body was found about eight nautical miles southwest off Pulau Mengalum, 13 nautical miles north-east of the last known position of the fatal incident, and 20 nautical miles to the west of Pulau Tiga.

The SAR team also found five orange life jackets on Jan 31, Feb 1, Feb 4, Feb 7 and Feb 9, but none of these was from the ill-fated catamaran.

The Jan 28 tragedy was considered jto be one of the longest SAR operations in the maritime history of Malaysia, spanning 126 days. It was finally called off at 9.20am on Jun 2.

Dent Havent kidnapping

Five Malaysians who were abducted by Abu Sayyaf in the waters off Dent Havent, Lahad Datu in July 2016, were finally released after being held captive for eight months.

Abdul Rahim Summas, 62, Tayuddin Anjut, 45, Mohd Ridzuan Ismail, 32, Fandy Bakran, 26, and Mohd Zumadil Rahim, 23, were abducted while on their way to Semporna after sending sand to Sandakan.

The incident was first realised when security forces found an empty, abandoned tug boat near Dent Havent on July 18, 2016.

Following continuous negotiations by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and their Philippine counterparts, the five men were finally released in March.

Tayudin and Abdul Rahim were found on a boat drifting off southern Philippines on March 23, while Jumadil, Mohd Ridzuan and Fandy are said to have been released by their captors on March 27.

Jalan Damai hostage situation

It was a harrowing experience for a local woman, who was being held at knife point by her captor for two hours during a hostage situation on May 10.

The 7.30pm incident at Jalan Damai in Kota Kinabalu was open to full view by the public, where a shirtless man was seen dragging the woman some 1.5km backwards, warning police not to come close and threatening to slit her throat open if they did.

Police investigation revealed that prior to the incident, the suspect had initially entered a house at Taman Istimewa in a burglary attempt, but failed when the house owner’s shouts prompted him to flee to a neighbour’s house. The suspect then grabbed the woman and took her hostage.

Police cordoned off both ends of Jalan Damai as they continued to negotiate with the suspect.

Throughout the two hours, police finally persuaded the man to let some ‘paramedics’ – who were actually police personnel in disguise – examine the victim. That was when the men-in-blue subdued the suspect.

The woman, in her 20s, only sustained a minor injury and was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital II for treatment. The 27-year-old suspect was charged with kidnapping and murder attempt under Section 3 of Kidnapping Act 1961 and Section 307 of the Penal Code, respectively.

Parti Warisan Sabah leaders detained

File photo shows Shafie (front, facing camera – centre) coming out after being detained by MACC for eight days.

Thirteen people, including Parti Warisan Sabah president, vice-president and its Youth chief, were detained by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in October to facilitate probe into alleged siphoning of federal funds worth RM1.5 billion for rural projects in Sabah since 2009.

Parti Warisan Sabah president Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal, Warisan vice-president Datuk Peter Anthony, Warisan Youth chief Datuk Mohd Azis Jamman, Tenom Umno Youth chief Jamawi Jaafar, and Tawau Umno Youth chief Ariffin Kassim were among those detained by MACC.

Both Shafie’s younger brothers, Hamid Apdal and Lahad Datu assemblyman Datuk Yusof Apdal, as well as Hamid’s son-in-law Manzur Hussein Awal Khan, were also apprehended.

A Sabah-based construction company owner, a former deputy secretary from the ministry, a water engineer and Warisan Putatan secretary Amarjit Singh and Shafie’s former private secretary Izhar Idrus and press secretary Zamri Maulan were also detained by MACC for alleged involvement in the case.

On Oct 5, MACC detained Anthony together with a 52-year-old company director and a 40-year-old former senior civil servant for alleged embezzlement of funds for rural development projects.

Five days later, Azis, Jamawi and Ariffin were picked up by MACC for investigation.

Hamid and a 40-year-old former deputy under-secretary (infrastructure) from the Rural and Regional Development Ministry were also detained by MACC, while Yusof was held under remand on Oct 18.

They were all released after the completion of their remand order – Shafie was the last to be released on Oct 27, after being held for eight days by the MACC.

It is understood that MACC was investigating a major corruption scandal involving the Rural and Regional Development Ministry.  It is learned that funds meant to carry out projects, especially for the rural community, had been allegedly siphoned off by certain officers, believed to be working in cahoots with several companies.

The projects were to improve amenities and infrastructure such as upgrading water and electricity supplies and road maintenance in hardcore poor areas.

It is also learned that one of the initiatives from the funds that had been siphoned was the Poor Students’ Food Programme.

The culprits are believed to have pocketed in more than RM100 million.

MACC began its tracking in 2016, compiling evidence before they could move in on the officers and the companies.

Shafie had repeatedly denied any wrongdoing or link with any companies that MACC was investigating – he believed the whole incident was politically motivated.

Immigration raid on spa

Some of the RM13.5 million seized from a spa hotel in Kota Kinabalu during the Nov 24 raid.

The Immigration Department in Sabah made one of the biggest raids in history when they discovered RM13.5 million of cash during an anti-vice raid on a spa hotel in Kota Kinabalu.

Immigration officers first discovered the cash during an operation, dubbed Ops Gegar, there on Nov 24. Four people, including a woman, in their 30s and 50s, were arrested.

Immigration officers also rescued 17 women, aged between 20 and 40, comprising Filipinas and China nationals, who are believed to be victims of a human trafficking syndicate.

The cash, totalling RM13,563,227.60 – with some notes printed in 2008, were found inside drawers, on beds and boxes inside a room, while RM1.1 million was discovered from the apartment said to be of the 46-year-old woman suspect.

Investigation also revealed that the spa had been in operation since 1999, with modifications made on the premises believed to be meant for vice activities.

The Immigration Department is currently investigating the case from various angles including those on human trafficking, money laundering, prostitution and overstaying of foreigners.