A Sabah opposition backbencher would be referred to the rights and privileges committee for telling a lie during the state legislative assembly sitting on Tuesday.

Junz Wong (DAP-Likas)’s statement in the assembly about a teenager being robbed and harmed at Suria Sabah shopping mall last January was found to be inconsistent with the police report lodged by the victim.

Speaker Salleh Said made the decision after Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Joseph Pairin Kitingan (BN-Tambunan) raised the issue at the sitting today.

Pairin, who also presented two documents as evidence, said although Wong had apologised, he committed ‘injury’ with his alleged attempt to instil anxiety in the people and contempt for the government.

The purported victim, 19, issued a statement on Jan 6 admitting that her injury was self-inflicted and that the robbery at Suria Sabah never happened.

In her police report about the robbery, she said she was persuaded to lodge it by Wong.

- Bernama