Sabah mining bribe court cases based on evidence, not video clips, PM tells Dewan Rakyat
The Prime Minister said he had also asked the MACC why only a certain number of individuals were brought to court despite others being implicated in the so-called "whistleblower videos".
"I was told that (the cases brought to court) are the ones that could be tracked... or else (others) would be thrown out.
'That was (MACC's) reason, to make a case substantive in facts and law to be referred for prosecution.
'Just basing a case on videos is not enough,' he said during Prime Minister's Question Time in the Dewan Rakyat on Tuesday (Aug 19).
ALSO READ: Two Sabah assemblymen, businessman claim trial over RM350,000 mining bribe case
MACC was confident that it had sufficient facts to charge the two assemblymen, he told Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee (PN-Beluran).
'The rest were considered hearsay, including the voices on the videos,' he added.
The scandal emerged late last year after a whistleblower released a series of covert recordings to a news portal, allegedly of conversations among political figures discussing mineral deals.
Selangor-based businessman Datuk Albert Tei Jiann Cheing and two assemblymen – Datuk Dr Yusof Yacob (Sindumin) and Andi Muhammad Suryady Bandy (Tanjung Batu) – were charged in the Kota Kinabalu Special Corruption Court on Monday (June 30) with corruption involving RM350,000 in alleged bribes linked to mineral licence approvals.
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