Social media post Tarnished Chief Minister’s Reputation

24 October 2025

KOTA KINABALU: A social media post implying that Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Hajiji Noor had met with businessman Albert Tei in connection with a mining scandal in Sabah is clearly an attempt to tarnish the Chief Minister’s reputation.

Information Chief of Parti Gagasan Rakyat Sabah (PGRS), Datuk Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan, said the Chief Minister, in his capacity as the state’s chief executive, regularly meets stakeholders from all sectors. These meetings, he explained, are official and are attended by the Chief Minister’s senior officers.

“The individual behind the social media post, together with Albert, acted in bad faith to link the Chief Minister to Albert and the mining scandal by using a photograph to create a misleading impression,” he said.

He added that while the Chief Minister has never denied knowing or having met Albert, the post was clearly an attempt to politicise an ordinary meeting, irresponsible and deliberately suggestive in nature.

“The Chief Minister has been transparent and has instructed the authorities to conduct a thorough investigation, assuring that the State Government will extend its full cooperation,” Nizam said.

He stressed that all allegations must be proven through due legal process, not through defamatory campaigns on social media.

Meanwhile, Nizam revealed that a local news portal reported yesterday that a source had informed them Albert had planned a “stunt” at Kota Kinabalu International Airport (KKIA), believed to be linked to his corruption case scheduled to be mentioned in the Kota Kinabalu Court today.

“It is clear that Albert himself played a leading role in creating this perception drama. He had planned his moves well in advance. He entered Sabah claiming to immigration officers that he was merely visiting friends, but failed to produce the required court summons,” Nizam said.

He described the entire episode as part of Albert’s deceitful and malicious scheme to sow confusion and create the impression that he was being persecuted.

“Albert deliberately fuelled conspiracy theories, suggesting political interference in the investigation against him in order to gain public sympathy."

“This is no longer the act of a victimised individual, but a coordinated perception operation designed to distract from his own case and the investigation against him,” Nizam concluded.