A former top civil servant who had previously helmed a key ministry and subsequently several important strategic government agencies whom I met today lamented at the deplorable state of affairs in the country where the Attorney-General could be so worked up as to appeal against the acquittal of dancer Bilquis Hijjas for insulting behavior by dropping yellow balloons during an official event attended by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife in a mall last August, yet could be so numb and insensitive as to be completely unconcerned about the shame felt by Malaysians at the nation’s new infamy as a “global kleptocracy”.

What indeed has happened to Malaysia? Read the rest of this entry »

By SAURABH CHATURVEDI and JAKE MAXWELL WATTS
Wall Street Journal
Oct. 10, 2016

Charges include forgery and failing to report a suspicious transaction

SINGAPORE—Prosecutors charged two former private bankers Monday with forgery and other criminal charges in the latest legal salvo related to the alleged misappropriation of billions of dollars from Malaysian state development fund 1MDB.

Yak Yew Chee, 57 years old, and Yvonne Seah, 45, were charged in Singapore’s state courts with three counts each of forgery and four counts each of failing to report suspicious transactions between 2012 and 2014, during their employment by the Singapore branch of Swiss private bank BSI SA.

Mr. Yak was the relationship manager for accounts held at BSI by subsidiaries of 1MDB, according to investigators and people familiar with the bank’s operations. Ms. Seah, whose full Chinese name is Seah Yew Foong, was a senior private banker at the firm.

No pleas were entered. Both defendants were released on bail after the hearing and couldn’t immediately be reached for comment. Read the rest of this entry »