Southern Alliance Mining denies managing director’s link to Sabah mining scandal

It has issued a letter of demand over defamatory claims.

Southern Alliance Mining (SAM) has denied allegations that its managing director, Dato’ Sri Pek Kok Sam, funded bribes related to securing mineral prospecting licences in Sabah.
 
In its bourse filing, SAM "strongly" denied and refuted the allegations.

Reports had named Dato’ Sri Pek Kok Sam as the backer of businessman Dato’ Albert Tei, who was linked to the corruption scandal.

SAM added that Tei was not a director, shareholder, or officer of Teguh Permata Sdn Bhd (TPSB) or Bumi Kinabalu Resources Sdn Bhd (BKRSB) at the time of their acquisition in 2022.

The company said both firms already held prospecting licences for exploration in Sabah prior to the acquisition. SAM said the deals were managed by its legal counsel and disclosed in July 2023.

It also issued a letter of demand and filed a police report over defamatory claims involving Pek and the company.