Mazu case hearing put off to today

Kota Kinabalu: 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 by withdrawal of the approval to erect the Mazu statue in Kudat has been postponed to today (Tuesday).

Judicial Commissioner Yew Jen Kie on Monday allowed the suit to be heard in the High Court here today (Tuesday) as Musa and the second defendant, former State Secretary Datuk K.Y. Mustafa, were not in the State and will be returning Monday evening.

Chong's lawyer Ansari Abdullah did not object to the postponement.

Also named in the legal suit are former permanent secretary of the State Housing and Local Government Ministry Datuk Ujang Sulani and the Kudat Town Board as the third and fourth defendants respectively.

The suit filed on Feb 6 last year 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, ordering construction work on the statue be stopped pending approval and further directive from Musa.

It was also claimed that the letter also described the project site as being near the Asy-Syarikin Mosque in Kudat and cited this as the reason for the directive and 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