Sabah assembly speaker Kadzim Yahya has reaffirmed that he only borrowed RM50,000 and was unaware of the alleged RM350,000 referenced in the video published by Malaysiakini.
“I don’t know anything about the RM350,000. My response about returning the money was in relation to the RM50,000 I borrowed from him, but he said it was fine,” he told the Daily Express.
“That’s how it is – he complained that his mining licence application was rejected and was upset. I had no idea that our conversation was being recorded to entrap me, just like the others,” he added.
However, Kadzim has yet to clarify what he meant in his WhatsApp message to the businessperson, who released the video, when the speaker said “can also just offset it (amount) from what is due to me”.
In the leaked WhatsApp messages, the speaker requested a “cash advance” from the businessperson after losing his wallet.
Kadzim, in his message, stated that he had to block his bank cards and accounts “for fear of misuse by unscrupulous people”.
In the video, the businessperson detailed the alleged RM350,000 given to the speaker, specifying the locations and amounts involved in the exchanges.
The businessperson also claimed that Kadzim’s son was allegedly appointed as a director in the company involved in the mining project.
Additionally, in a statement to Malaysiakini, he alleged that Kadzim had “demanded” RM3 million and a “free 50 percent share” in the company that applied for a silica sand mining project.
The speaker, in his response to Malaysiakini, denounced the allegations as “falsehoods” and vowed to initiate legal action to safeguard his integrity.
The speaker’s video was the ninth recording revealed by the businessperson since last November.
Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor has accused the businessperson of colluding with those with vested interests to undermine his government.
It was also suggested that the businessperson is part of a cartel seeking to monopolise mining in the state and resorted to fraudulent means to achieve this objective.