Mat Sabu to take legal action against netizens over graft claims

Agriculture and food security minister Mohamad Sabu has ordered his lawyers to serve letters of demand on owners of social media accounts accusing him of corruption in the Kedah fertiliser supply case.

Mohamad, known as Mat Sabu, said speaking up on issues online was not a problem, but spreading baseless defamatory allegations and malicious insinuations was wrong.

“I have asked my lawyers to serve letters of demand on the account holders involved. Social media gives everyone the platform to speak out, but statements must be made responsibly,” he said in a post on Threads.

He included a screenshot of a Facebook post claiming that he had “escaped” action in the corruption investigation while those arrested so far were merely contractors.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) found that as of September, a company had supplied 333,655 of 616,015 bags of fertiliser required by about 60,000 padi farmers in Kedah for the first crop of the 2026 season, leaving a shortfall of 282,360 bags.

The company was appointed by the ministry to supply fertiliser to padi farmers in areas under the Muda Agricultural Development Authority.

The managing director of the firm is under remand until tomorrow, while MACC said Mohamad and his ministry’s secretary-general could be summoned to assist in the probe.

Ministry agencies told to improve governance

Separately, Mohamad ordered every organisation under his ministry to boost its level of governance to ensure that they are managed lawfully, transparently and with integrity.

“Any non-compliance, weakness in management or issue that can affect public interest must be identified with appropriate action taken accordingly.

“The management of agencies and subsidiaries must also ensure that every decision, procurement and use of public funds is carried out responsibly,” he said in a statement.