Menteri Besar Datuk Ahmad Razif Abd Rahman (pic) said he has “never heard of the company’s name before” and denied that his government had ever dealt with it.
“We have never authorised this company to mine in Bukit Besi, whether directly with them or via a different company.
“The said company has also never dealt with the Land and Mine office, as well as the Terengganu Heritage Fund Board (LTAWN), which has been entrusted to oversee mining operations at Bukit Besi,” said Ahmad Razif yesterday.
According to him, there are only seven companies authorised to mine at Bukit Besi presently, and CAA Resources is not one of them.
“In 2013, six companies managed to produce 571,282 tonnes of iron ore. This year, only 327,724 tonnes of iron ore have been produced by five companies.
“But this individual is claiming that his one company can produce up to 500,000 tonnes of iron ore. That shows that his claims are not true,” said Ahmad Razif, referring to a New York Times article on Nov 19 that quoted Li Yang, who is said to be the chairman of CAA Resources.
The Mentri Besar also rebutted claims that Li had managed to avoid preparing an environmental impact assessment for his operations.
“The requirements to mine are governed by the State Minerals Enactment. It is not easy because there are about 38 rules that need to be adhered to, involving six different government agencies,” said Ahmad Razif.
Li was also quoted as claiming that he was able to get away with a lot of things due to his relationship with politicians and royalty, adding that he paid US$100,000 (RM335,000) to help certain people to gain Datukships.
Ahmad Razif said the state welcomed the move by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to probe the allegations. - TheStar
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