“The investigation is currently focused on obtaining relevant documents for review to identify and record statements from witnesses,” the agency told the New Straits Times last Friday.
It added that several individuals involved in cultivating the occupied lands have been identified.
The land dispute in Pahang’s Raub district started on April 8, when the government cut down around 200 durian trees that it said were grown on illegally occupied land. The move was part of “Op Sekat 3.0,” a state-led operation that ran from April 8 to May 3 targeting unauthorized durian farms. In the days that followed, authorities felled more than 1,000 trees, many of them the highly valued Musang King variety, according to local media.
The latest MACC statement came shortly after the Sultan of Pahang, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, visited one of the former illegal orchards near the district last Thursday, as seen in a Facebook video.
The caption to the footage said the Sultan had earlier met with officials from the Raub Land and District Office to discuss the long-standing encroachment of local land.
After learning that 10,521 hectares, roughly the size of 14,700 football fields, of land in the district had been unlawfully occupied, the Sultan voiced his astonishment at the scale of the issue, according to national news agency Bernama.
The operation faced criticism from farmers, who protested by blocking access routes and displaying banners voicing their dissatisfaction with the destruction of their long-established crops, Free Malaysia Today reported.
The Save Musang King Alliance, which represents the farmers, argued that a court ruling from last May prohibited the government from demolishing the farms.
However, authorities countered that no court order had been violated and reaffirmed their right to clear the land.
In contrast, the crackdown garnered support from local non-governmental organizations and residents, many of whom stressed that the illegal land use was a persistent issue that required resolution.
Tengku Zulpuri, a former Raub member of parliament, remarked that the existence of these illegal farms had been an “open secret” for over three decades.
Tan Sri Azam Baki, MACC’s chief commissioner, said the ongoing investigation is not only targeting governance issues but also looking into how land-clearing activities could proceed without proper intervention from relevant authorities.
The agency said late last month that it had compiled a list of individuals linked to the Pahang land dispute, which includes multiple former officials.
“Considering the case dates back around 10 years or more, some of the officials involved have since retired,” Azam said.
