Theft of rare earth elements: Probe Kedah Land and Mines Office for lack of action, Saifuddin urges MACC

ALOR SETAR: PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail is urging the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and police to investigate Kedah Land and Mines Office for an alleged cover-up related to rare earth element (REE) theft case in Bukit Enggang.

Saifuddin alleged that the state agency had failed to investigate the REE theft incident under Chapter 11 of the Kedah Mineral Enactment 2004.

“This is clear that state government agencies such as the Land and Mines Office have failed to investigate the incident and this is what makes it scandalous,” he said during a press conference after accompanying Barisan Nasional Pedu candidate Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid in a walkabout programme at Pekan Naka here on Sunday (Aug 6).

The Home Minister said under the Kedah Minerals Enactment, Chapter 11, Regulation 168, 169 and 170, it was clearly stated that it was the jurisdiction of the Land and Mines Office to initiate a probe.

He however said the Land and Mines Office had not done what it was supposed to do, which was to open an investigation on the matter.

In the same press conference, Saifuddin alleged that caretaker mentri besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor had issued a letter, allowing a company to enter Bukit Enggang forest reserve on May 15.

He questioned why Muhammad Sanusi issued the letter to the company that had been fined in January for illegal mining of rare earth elements (REE).

“The letter was issued on May 15 this year to allow the company to enter the forest reserve for the purpose of development of a 500ha forest plantation.

“The owner of the company, Ho Chung Meng, had been arrested by authorities in January and he was found guilty and had to pay a fine of RM130,000,” he said.

In April, Ho was one of forty people that had been charged at the Sessions Court in Baling with trespassing into Compartment 12 of the Bukit Enggang Forest Reserves in January.

Saifuddin said he felt it was odd that after a month of the arrest, Sanusi had again issued a letter to Ho allowing his company to enter the same area in Bukit Enggang.

“He was first arrested in January and then released, on May 15 he got another letter for permission to enter the area for the purpose of forest development in the same area.

“If he (Ho) was involved in the theft in January, I want to ask Muhammad Sanusi why issue the letter on May 15?” he said.