KOTA KINABALU, 12 Jan 2009: The civil suit filed by former Sabah Chief Minister Tan Sri Chong Kah Kiat against Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman and three others for alleged abuse of power over the withdrawal of the approval to erect the Mazu statue in Kudat has been postponed to tomorrow.
Judicial Commissioner Yew Jen Kie today allowed the suit to be heard in the High Court here tomorrow as Musa and the second defendant, former state secretary Datuk KY Mustafa, were not in the state and would only be returning this evening.
Chong’s lawyer Ansari Abdullah did not object to the postponement.
Also named as defendants in the legal suit are former permanent secretary of the State Housing and Local Government Ministry Datuk Ujang Sulani, and the Kudat Town Board.
The suit filed on 6 Feb 2008 claimed that before issuing the letter of withdrawal of approval on the Mazu project by the Kudat Town Board, its executive secretary had issued a letter to Chong on May 25, 2006. The letter ordered construction work on the statue to be stopped pending approval and further directive from Musa.
It was also claimed that the letter described the project site as being near the Asy-Syarikin Mosque in Kudat and cited this as the reason for the directive. It also said that various quarters had objected to the statue being constructed at the site.
The defendants were represented by state attorney-general Datuk Roderic Fernandez. — Bernama
