KOTA KINABALU: Outgoing Sabah Conservator of Forests Datuk Sam Mannan is one of three senior Forestry Department officers being questioned by the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) for suspected abuse of power and corrupt practices. It was learned that graft investigators went to their office at the Sabah Forestry headquarters in Sandakan at around 10am before taking them to their respective houses as part of the investigations. The graft-busters have begun moving against Sabah’s powerful timber cartels as simultaneous raids were carried out at the state Sabah Forestry Department headquarters as well as three logging companies. The MACC has already raided the offices of two logging companies in Sandakan and one in Tawau, and it is believed that documents have been seized in the raids. The moves comes as Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal ordered a log export ban that was among others aimed at breaking up a Sabah timber cartel that has been in operation for a decade.

Source: The Star August 20, 2018 07:30 UTC