Undercover footage shot by NGO Global Witness shows alleged ‘corruption and illegality at the heart of governance in Sarawak, Malaysia’s largest state, on the island of Borneo.’
The 16-minute film was released this week.
The state of Sarawak has been ruled for more than thirty years by Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud. He controls all ‘land classification, forestry and plantation licenses in the state,’ Global Witness said.
Click image for original (Courtesy of Google maps)
Sarawak exports more tropical logs than South America and Africa combined, according to the NGO. Only five percent of its rain forest remains unlogged, Global Witness said.
‘The film reveals for the first time the instruments used by the ruling Taib family and its lawyers to skirt Malaysia’s laws and taxes,’ Global Witness said. ‘It shows how they cream off huge profits at the expense of indigenous people, and hide their dirty money in Singapore.’
Taib and the local lawyers caught on tape have all denied Global Witness’s allegations of corruption.
Here’s the video:
Comments are closed for this article!