37 Facts About Musa Aman

Musa bin Aman is a Malaysian politician who has served as the 11th Yang di-Pertua Negeri of Sabah since January 2025.

Musa Aman served as the 14th Chief Minister of Sabah from March 2003 to May 2018, State Minister of Finance of Sabah from 2002 to May 2018, State Minister in the Chief Minister's Department of Sabah from 1999 to 2002 and Member of the Sabah State Legislative Assembly for Sungai Sibuga from February 1994 to September 2020.

Musa Aman was the State Chairman of Barisan Nasional and United Malays National Organisation of Sabah.

Musa Aman is the longest-serving Chief Minister of Sabah, holding the position for 15 years and is the older half brother of Anifah Aman, Senator, Special Advisor to the Chief Minister of Sabah on International Relations and Foreign Investments and President of the Love Sabah Party.

Musa Aman received his primary education in St Paul's Anglican primary school, Beaufort and later attended Sabah College and All Saints Secondary School, both in Kota Kinabalu for his secondary education.

Musa Aman then pursued his tertiary education in Universiti Teknologi Mara or UiTM for his bachelor's degree in Business Administration and later obtained a Master of Business Administration degree from Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia.

Musa Aman was interested in the world of business since his primary school days.

Musa Aman later put Syarikat Musman Holdings Sdn Bhd under his stewardship.

Musa Aman was the chairman for City Finance Berhad from 1983 until 1995.

Musa Aman later became the chief executive of Innoprise Corporation in 1995 and the chairman for Sabah Softwood Berhad in the same year.

Musa Aman debuted in the 1990 Sabah state election and competed for the Sugut seat but lost to the incumbent.

On 7 March 1995, a year after BN came to power in Sabah, Musa Aman became the director of Sabah Foundation, a Sabah statutory body.

Musa Aman moved up further in his political career when he was appointed Minister in the Chief Minister's Department under Datuk Osu Sukam in 1999.

On 28 September 2001, Musa Aman replaced Osu Sukam as the Sabah UMNO Liaison Committee chairman, which paved the way for him to be the Chief Minister.

Musa Aman took over the post of chief minister from Chong Kah Kiat on 27 March 2003.

Musa Aman had set his priorities on agriculture, tourism and manufacturing, putting them in what he calls the state's 'Halatuju' development framework, and supporting them by placing human resource development high on his agenda.

Under Musa Aman tourism registered significant growth; Tourist arrivals to Sabah grew from 1.25 million arrivals in 2003 to nearly 2.1 million arrivals in 2006.

Musa Aman was accused of having close relationship with Sabah timber trader Michael Chia, where the latter was detained in Hong Kong in 2008 for trying to smuggle S$16 million to Musa Aman.

Abdul Gani Patail, the Malaysian Attorney-General who is close to Musa Aman family, was alleged to have blocked the MACC investigation into this case.

However, Musa Aman denied his link with Chia, while accusing Sarawak Report for defaming him.

On 11 October 2012, in a written reply to the Parliament, Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz said Musa Aman has been cleared of the alleged RM40 million kickbacks for timber licences by the Attorney-General's Chambers as "the funds were contributions to the Sabah Umno liaison body and not for the personal use of the chief minister".

Musa Aman said that the Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption and Malaysian Attorney-General chamber has cleared Musa of corruption after the MACC has provided information in this case.

Musa Aman was criticised for handing out 155 motorcycles to various entrepreneurs in Sandakan, in what was widely seen as an attempt to wrest the marginal seat from the opposition Democratic Action Party.

Jeffrey then decide to team up with the BN to form coalition state government with him appointed as a Deputy Chief Minister while Musa Aman to become the Chief Minister for another 5 years under the new coalition government.

Nevertheless, Musa Aman was issued a letter from the TYT that he is no longer the Chief Minister effective from 12 May 2018 that was delivered into his residence on 14 May 2018.

Musa Aman then filed a suit through his lawyer to both Juhar and Shafie, seeking a declaration that he is and remains the lawful Chief Minister and that the swearing in of Shafie within 24 hours lapse is unconstitutional.

On 30 May 2018, a video published by a Malaysian living in the United Kingdom circulating in social media of Facebook, featuring a man with a cap resembling Musa Aman seen at St Pancras railway station in London.

The Malaysian Immigration Department has said they have no record of Musa Aman leaving Malaysia, adding that "Musa Aman has been blacklisted by the department and if he left the country through illegal routes, he have violated the country's laws".

Malaysian Inspector-General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun revealed that Musa Aman was believed to have made Brunei as transit before slipping out of the country.

Musa Aman was taken to the Subang Jaya Medical Centre for receiving further treatment.

Musa Aman has decided to return to Malaysia to settle all outstanding issues, although this is against the doctor's advise.

Musa Aman had previously claimed that he was receiving medical treatment in England and therefore was not fit to return to Malaysia.

On 5 November 2018, Musa Aman was charged with 35-corruption related charges include those of receiving a total of US$63 million between December 2004 and November 2008 related to timber concessions when he was still chief minister to which he pled not guilty and granted RM2 million bail to enable him return to Kota Kinabalu to attend the chief minister legitimacy case.

On 5 March 2019, Musa Aman was charged with 16 money laundering charges amounting to over US$30 million related to timber concessions in Sabah.

In second to fifteenth charges, Musa Aman was said to have received over US$37 million from various individuals and companies between June 2006 and March 2008.

On 9 June 2020, Musa Aman was acquitted from 46 corruption and money laundering charges related to the awards of logging contracts during his tenure as Sabah's chief minister after Malaysia's High Court judge Muhammad Jamil Hussin made the decision after Musa Aman's team applied earlier for all 46 charges to be stricken out.

Regardless, Musa Aman had earlier thanked Anwar, Malaysia's King Ibrahim Iskandar and Sabah Chief Minister Hajiji Noor for the consent given towards his appointment as the 11th state governor.