SABAH Umno is calling on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to act against the Deputy Chief Minister I of Sabah, Dr Jeffrey Kitingan (picture), who is alleged to have admitted to receiving political donations without any official declaration.

The Chief of the Sabah Umno War Room Secretariat, Abdul Aziz Julkarnain, stated that this matter represents a serious revelation that undermines the principles of transparency and integrity in the administration of the Sabah government.

“What is even more shocking is that this admission comes from a leader who has long claimed to champion the sovereignty of the people of Sabah through the slogan ‘Sabah for Sabahans’.

“This slogan is now losing its meaning as several leaders who have also echoed the phrase ‘Our Home, We Take Care’ are now entangled in allegations related to questionable transactions and economic interests of the state,” he said in a statement in Kota Kinabalu today.

Earlier, Malaysiakini was reported as stating that the president of the Parti Solidariti Tanah Airku (Star) denied the allegations made by businessman Albert Tei that he received bribes related to mineral exploration licences in the state.

Kitingan asserted that he “truly does not remember” having a conversation with Tei regarding a sum of money as depicted in a video recording aired by Malaysiakini yesterday.

However, Kitingan stated that the conversation appeared to be about political donations “years ago before the election” and emphasised that it has nothing to do with the mining scandal involving several Sabah assemblymen recently.