The Sabah State Water Department corruption probe (Malay: Siasatan Rasuah Jabatan Air Negeri Sabah) refers to a 2015 to 2016 widespread investigation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over the alleged abuse of power inside the Sabah State Water Department resulting in the arrest of two senior officers in the state agency along with the confiscation of RM3 million which had been kept inside a safe deposit box in the office of one of the suspects,[1] together with a total of RM52 million cash were seized from various more places, including from the officials' house which also includes gold and stone jewellery, luxury brand watches, 94 branded handbags, nine luxury cars and folders containing 127 land grants of the two officers.
[16] Following a series of investigation for years, a team of MACC then raid the office of Sabah State Water Department on 4 October 2016, arresting the department's director Awang Tahir Awang Talib (aged 54) and his assistant Teo Chee Kong (52) on the spot along with the confiscation of RM114 million worth of assets and RM53.7 million in "cold cash", with further investigation revealed a money trail leading to Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
[5]The two suspects account have since been frozen,[17] with the money confiscated are believed to have been siphoned from federal government allocations to the department for infrastructure projects worth RM3.3 billion since 2010.
[19] One of the two main suspects was however been released on bail on 16 October after his 12-day remand order had expired,[20][21] thought neither of them can be working in the department anymore and were blacklisted from leaving the state of Sabah.
[35] The trial are subsequently allowed to be adjourned until a proper decision by the court of appeal as well as the recusal order is reached,[35][36] while a hearing will be heard on 30 and 31 July as well on 1 and 2 August respectively with all four suspects is charged for a combined total of 183 counts of money laundering involving nearly RM100 million.
[37] Until November 2018 since the change of the state government, the new Infrastructure Development Minister Peter Anthony said he is still puzzled on the current status of the case as there is no new information received from the MACC.
[47] Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan was shocked when heard of the arrest and assured that his ministry would leave no stone unturned in investigating the two officers suspected of corruption and abuse of power.
[42] Foreign Minister Anifah Aman denied allegations that the two officers arrested are linked to his ministry and the Kimanis United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) division.
[50] Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) religious harmony bureau chairman Ti Lian Ker said the scandal shows that the government's check and balance system has failed and needs to be overhauled.
[52][53] Chief Secretary to the Government, Ali Hamsa called on the public to not regard all the 1.61 million civil servants in Malaysia as corrupt because of the malpractices of a few individuals shortly after the revelation in the case.
[41][55][56] Penampang MP Darell Leiking has called on MACC to investigate every completed and on-going projects in Sabah for elements of corruption and hopes the commission will uncover many more abuses that had happen in the state for a long time.
[60] Former Rural and Regional Development Minister Shafie Apdal denied that he and his former ministry had any links with the corruption in the awarding of infrastructure projects worth RM3.3 billion during his term, and said he is prepared to co-operate with the MACC.
[61] Sabah Democratic Action Party (DAP) Chairman Stephen Wong Tien Fatt demanded Joseph Pairin Kitingan to resign over the corruption case as the department was under his purview.
[62] Wong statement was then responded by the President of Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Yong Teck Lee, citing "it is too early to determined the political responsibility" in the case.