Sabah Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Ariffin Mohd Arif has dismissed a MalaysiaKini report linking him to a secret settlement offer in the Sabah mining scandal, calling it inaccurate and defamatory.

Ariffin said the allegations in the February 3 report were false and misleading.

“The report is malicious because it contains inaccurate, misleading, and defamatory claims,” he told reporters after lodging a police report in Kota Kinabalu here on Tuesday night.

He also accused the news portal of failing to verify the claims before publishing the report.

“MalaysiaKini never contacted me to verify this before publishing,” he said.

The report alleged that Ariffin was involved in an attempt to negotiate a settlement with a whistleblower linked to the mining scandal.

Ariffin dismissed the claims, saying the accusations were part of an orchestrated attempt to monopolise mining licences in Sabah.

“This proves that certain cartel groups are using deception and slander to obtain mining licences,” he said.

He warned that he would be taking legal action against those responsible.

“I will take legal action against those spreading these false allegations and colluding with this cartel,” he said.

Ariffin added that his lawyers would handle the case.

“The details will be handled by my legal team,” he said.

No response from Arifin when contacted

Meanwhile, Malaysiakini said they have reached out to Arifin at 9:18 am on Monday for comments on bribery allegations but did not receive a response before publishing the report at 4 pm in a response to Ariffin’s claim.

It added that a whistleblower, who is also a businessman, claimed Arifin had offered to reinstate his company’s revoked mineral exploration license.

In return, he was allegedly asked to declare publicly that the funds involved were a “political donation” and that his dealings with Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor were a misunderstanding.

A prepared media statement, purportedly drafted for him, also included an apology to the assemblymen implicated in the scandal and a claim that he had made similar “contributions” to Star, PBS, and Umno Sabah representatives.

Previously, the whistleblower released videos showing Sabah assemblymen discussing bribery, specifically taking bribes in exchange for supporting his company’s mineral exploration license application. – February 5, 2025