Kadzim claimed he was ‘trapped’ by the businessman.
Sabah State Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Kadzim Yahya has announced plans to file a police report over allegations that he received RM350,000 in connection with bribery involving mining prospecting licences.
Kadzim stated that he was “trapped” by the businessman behind the claim, in a scheme similar to those allegedly used against other Sabah assemblymen.
“I am planning to make a police report,” he said when contacted on Tuesday (March 11).
He denied any knowledge of the RM350,000 mentioned in a secretly recorded video of his conversation with the businessman.
“I don’t know about the RM350,000. My response in the video was regarding the RM50,000 I borrowed from him, but he said it was okay,” Kadzim explained.
His comments follow a news report on Monday (March 10) featuring a video and a WhatsApp chat between him and the businessman about a RM50,000 loan.
More Sabah assemblymen allegedly implicated
Kadzim declined to elaborate further, stating that the situation mirrored previous cases where secret recordings were allegedly used to entrap unsuspecting assemblymen in Sabah.
His video is the latest in a series of leaks from the businessman, who, through a news portal, has implicated eight Sabah assemblymen, including three state ministers, in receiving payments for prospecting licences.
MACC receives full, unedited videos
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki previously stated that edited videos could not be used as evidence and confirmed that 18 witnesses had been questioned in connection with the businessman’s claims.
However, on Tuesday, Lawyers for Liberty (LFL) executive director Zaid Malek handed over full, unedited recordings involving Sabah assemblymen to the MACC at its headquarters in Putrajaya.
LFL founding member and former MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya confirmed that the whistleblower had provided the organisation with the original device used to record the videos, along with a USB drive containing the footage.
With the complete videos now in MACC’s possession, the investigation into the allegations is expected to gain momentum.