Raymond (file photo)
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah PKR Youth leader Raymond Ahuar is ready to cooperate with the police regarding his recent statement about a mother in Keningau who allegedly “sold” her children for money due to hardship.
He contacted The Borneo Post on Friday and shared pictures, screenshot of conversation and also police report related to the issue, to defend his statement.
“I would like to refer to the recent statement issued by the Sabah Police Commissioner, Hazani Ghazali who not only denied my media statement about a mother selling her children in Keningau due to hardship, but also linked me to issuing deceptive statements and spreading fake news.
“I am defending my first statement, that this is happening in Keningau. Police report and evidence from the authorities involved are also with me.
“This disclosure does not benefit me and I am not blaming anyone here, but to seek defense for the rural community.
“I am defending my statement and always ready to fully cooperate with the police to investigate the case,” he said.
As of June 18, Raymond said he had not received any calls from the police regarding the issue.
Keningau police chief Shahrudin Mat Husain also said there was no human trafficking and baby selling in the district.
He clarified that the case actually involved a married couple who was detained for a drug offence.
The man was held and charged in court for possession of drugs last May 22 while the mother of the children was also found positive for methamphetamine on June 11.
Shahrudin said when the arrest was made, two of her children aged five and seven months who were with her were subsequently handed over to the Welfare Department.
Another child aged seven was later handed over to the department.
From their investigations, he said the woman had tried collecting donations from the public to settle the court bail for her husband.
“There is no offence related to (the) selling of the children by the mother and no issue of human trafficking due to struggles of life in Keningau,” he said, urging the people not to issue statements without referring to the police first.