Tempasuk rep claims whistleblower 'maliciously edited' conversation
Tempasuk assemblyperson Arsad Bistari said that he was only being sarcastic.
A Sabah assemblyperson caught on video complaining about a lucrative project being blocked claimed that his conversation with the whistleblower had been maliciously edited.
Tempasuk assemblyperson Arsad Bistari said that he was only being sarcastic.
“I would like to clarify that my conversation in the video was maliciously edited.
“I suspect the individual I met had ulterior motives and, with that in mind, I chatted sarcastically and informally.
“Therefore, it is inappropriate to conclude that the conversation constitutes a confession or any act of illegal nature,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.
On Thursday, the whistleblower - who alleged to have evidence of corruption involving eight assemblypersons - released a video of his conversation with Arsad.
Malaysiakini understands this clip is an edited version of a longer recording of a discussion between the whistleblower and the BN assemblyperson.
The whistleblower claimed the edited version does not contain the part where the pair talked about money that purportedly changed hands for Arsad to support the whistleblower’s project in the state.
Projects ‘blocked’
In the recording, the conversation centred around projects that are being “disekat” (blocked) by someone, who is believed to be in reference to Chief Minister Hajiji Noor.
“The recent one in Tenom (district), RM70 million,” he cited in the video as one of the projects “blocked” without elaborating what kind of project it was.
“RM70 million, I collect 20 percent. How much money (is that)? Three years concession. You don’t think I feel upset (sakit hati)?
“You know how much I spent for the division heads on the ground,” he added. It is unclear if the 20 percent referred to kickbacks.
The video also has Arsad seemingly blaming Sabah finance minister Masidi Manjun for what happened.
READ MORE: Sabah reps' alleged corruption videos: What has happened so far
In his response today, the Tempasuk assemblyperson said he had full respect for Hajiji and Masidi.
“Allegations that I blamed them or stated that my project was ‘blocked’ are untrue and deliberately distorted, including the alleged involvement of other assemblypersons (Kawang, Pantai Dalit, Tanjung Batu, and Labuk) in the conversation.
“I was only referring to the challenges in implementing large projects in Sabah, where the approval process involves many parties and a high level of procedure,” he said.
Arsad said he will cooperate with the MACC if required and is also exploring legal recourse for himself.
He also urged the media to be objective and not make conclusions that may confuse the public.
