Police say interviewed Kedah MB today, will refer to AGC after probe papers complete

KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — The police today said they had recorded Kedah Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor’s statement, and will be completing the investigation before referring it to the Attorney General’s Chambers.

In a brief statement tonight, Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) secretary Datuk Noorsiah Saaduddin said the police confirm that Bukit Aman’s Criminal Investigation Department’s Classified Crime Investigation Unit had completed recording Sanusi’s statement at the Kedah Menteri Besar’s office at Wisma Darul Aman in Alor Setar, Kedah.

“PDRM is now completing the investigation papers before referring to the Attorney General’s Chambers in line with Article 145(3) of the Federal Constitution in the near future,” Noorsiah said.

Yesterday, the police said they had launched an investigation on Sanusi, following police reports over his alleged recent claims that Penang is purportedly under Kedah’s ownership.

The police yesterday said the Classified Crime Investigation Unit would record Sanusi’s statement today, and that the unit is carrying out investigations under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act.

Section 505(b) of the Penal Code refers to the offence of making, publishing or circulating any statement, rumour or report with intent to cause fear or alarm to the public; or induce an individual to commit an offence against the State.

Section 233 covers the offence of improper use of network facilities or network service, including the making or initiating the transmission of comments which are “obscene, indecent, false, menacing or offensive in character with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten or harass another person”.

After his statement was recorded by the police, Sanusi today reportedly claimed that he had never asked for the Federal Constitution to be amended to enable Penang to return to Kedah’s hands, alleging that his comments had been misinterpreted.

Sanusi claimed he merely wanted to negotiate with the federal government for more payment to Kedah over the alleged lease of the state’s land to Penang, and for the reassessing of the annual payments over the alleged lease according to current rates.

“My focus is to increase the lease payment, which should be possibly RM100 million per year, but the actual assessment should be done by the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH),” Sanusi was quoted as saying today by Malay language daily Sinar Harian.

National news agency Bernama had in 2015 previously reported that the Kedah sultanate had leased Penang island to the British in 1791 for 6,000 Spanish Dollars and Seberang Perai in 1800 for 4,000 Spanish Dollars, and that the federal government had continued to pay RM10,000 annually to Kedah after the states of then Malaya gained independence.

Since 2018, the federal government has made an additional special annual payment of RM10 million to Kedah, on top of the continued payment of RM10,000 every year.

In October 2021, Sanusi was reported demanding that Kedah be paid RM100 million every year for the alleged “lease” of its land to Penang, instead of the RM10 million that the federal government has been paying since 2018.