KOTA KINABALU – The high court here has postponed the hearing of the controversial Nature Conservation Agreement (NCA) to allow more time for the Sabah Forestry Department to submit its affidavit.
High court judge Ismail Brahim granted the extension today following a request from the defendant, as they were unable to file their affidavit due to the court’s e-filing system being shut down for maintenance on January 2.
The counsel representing the department noted that they were only able to file the affidavit today, with the applicant obliged for the extension.
A new date for the hearing would be set by the court soon.
The writ was filed by former DAP senator Adrian Lasimbang on December 12 last year, seeking discovery of key documents of the NCA.
Lasimbang, an indigenous rights activist, named the Sabah Chief Conservator of Forests Datuk Frederick Kugan as defendant, stating he was acting on behalf of the native communities of Sabah who held native customary rights.
The signing of the NCA was undertaken in secrecy in October last year and was only exposed by news portal Mongabay.
“This agreement is said to grant monopoly rights irrevocably to Singapore company Hoch Standard Pte Ltd for the monetisation of natural capital in 2 million hectares of Sabah’s Totally Protected Areas for 100 years, including for carbon trading,” said Lasimbang in a text message to The Vibes.
Various conservation groups in Sabah had raised their concerns over the secrecy of the NCA and also questioned the legitimacy of the Singapore-based company the state has entered into a deal with. – The Vibes, January 3, 2022
