ALOR STAR: Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has distance himself from the RM310 million lawsuit filed by a local company against Kedah State Secretary Incorporated (SSI) over alleged breach of a land lease agreement signed in 2020.
The Kedah Menteri Besar said he has nothing to do with the matter as it is involved SSI, which falls under the purview of the State Secretary and not the menteri besar.
"Some people tried to drag me into the issue but I have nothing to do with it.
"SSI is under the State Secretary, it has its own board, panel. They are not answerable to me," he told a press conference here today.
He said he was made to understand that the lawsuit was initiated in regards to a breach of land issue.
"The main issue is it involved an agriculture land, thus only agricultural activity is allowed on the land, since the lease was approved by SSI to the company for agriculture purposes.
"If the company wishes to use the land for other purpose, it has to obtain the approval from the land owner. It is up to the land owner whether to agree to reject the plan.
"However, since it has become a court case, so it is wiser for them to present their argument in the courtroom. I have nothing to do with it," he said.
Earlier, Sanusi accompanied 41 orphans from Rumah Anak Yatim Budi Yan and underprivileged children shopping for Hari Raya Aidilfitri clothes in Pekan Rabu here today.
The programme was organised and funded by Telekom Malaysia (TM) through its social foundation arm, Yayasan TM under its Cahaya Ramadan programme.
This year, Yayasan TM has allocated RM320,000 to bring Aidilfitri cheers to some 3,000 beneficiaries across Malaysia, including asnaf, orphans, B40 families, single mothers, Persons with Disabilities (PWD), tahfiz students, and the Orang Asli community.
It was reported that local company, Aras Niaga Group Bhd named three parties as defendants in the writ of claim, namely SSI Kedah, SSI general manager, and the Kedah state secretary in the lawsuit.
The company said it filed the claim on March 25 after SSI directed Aras Niaga to return 255ha of land in Mukim Semeling, Kuala Muda, which had been legitimately leased, back to SSI.
Aras Niaga chief executive officer Datuk Muhamad Annas Mohamad Anuar was reported as saying they had plans for collaboration with Permodahan Kedah Bhd to develop an iron ore mine at the site.
In response, Kedah State Secretary Datuk Seri Norizan Khazali had said he would seek legal advice from the state's legal advisors since the matter predated his tenure as the state secretary.
