PENAMPANG, May 29 -- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has said he was not at liberty to take action on those involved in the Sabah mining scandal without proof of wrongdoing.

Anwar said that the viral videos needed to be investigated thoroughly and until then, he would not be making any "dictator" approaches such as those seen in the past.

"So I want to explain so that everyone understands - I do not want to hold a government position just to protect anyone. Some people say 'the Prime Minister must act', 'the Prime Minister is not firm', 'the Prime Minister talks about anti-corruption but allows corruption...'

"This Prime Minister is not a dictator; I follow the law, I have to go through the process, I cannot just arrest people ...