M. Bakri Musa
June 27, 2017

America is a Rorschach Test to most foreigners. What they view as America reveals more of themselves than of America; likewise, how they react to events in America.

One visitor to Washington, DC, would see only the homeless under the bridges, potholes on the streets, and “adult” stores at very corner; others, The Smithsonian, Georgetown University, and the National Institutes of Health. The contrasting observations reflect volumes on the observers.

Consider the Malaysian responses to the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits relating to alleged illicit siphoning of funds from 1MDB. I am not referring to the kopi-o babbling in the echo chamber of UMNO-paid “cyber-troopers” that pollutes the social media. They are pet parrots; babbling whatever is coached to them. With a different master offering more leftovers they could be made to change their tune.

What interests me instead are the responses of ministers and commentators. Their utterances expose their appalling ignorance of the American justice system. They also reveal much of themselves, as per Rorschach’s insight.

One minister, eager to be seen as his master’s favorite lapdog, asserted that DOJ is being influenced by the Malaysian opposition. On cue, the other hounds and bitches piled on. A hitherto severe critic of the establishment pontificated that a former champion college debater together with Mahathir and Daim Zainuddin were involved.

Heady stuff for a young man! Though flattered, Syed Saddiq went ahead and filed a police report against that blogger! Mahathir described best those who believed such canards: “Bodoh luar biasa!” (Extraordinarily stupid!)

Those characters must also believe that the American judicial system is like Malaysia’s, where prosecutors could be influenced or paid off a la one Shafee Abdullah. Sarawak Report alleged that he was paid RM9.5 million from Najib’s slush fund before being appointed special prosecutor in Anwar Ibrahim’s case. Shafee has not denied that. Read the rest of this entry »

With American actor Leonardo DiCaprio and Australian supermodel Miranda Kerr handing over their multi-million US dollar gifts from Jho Low to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), all eyes are now on the “wife of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1”.

Representatives of Leonardo Di Caprio announced two weeks ago that the American actor had turned over an Oscar won by Marlon Brando to US investigators probing money laundering by 1MDB as well as initiated the return of other, unidentified items that the actor said he accepted as gifts for a charity auction and which originated from the international 1MDB money-laundering scam. Read the rest of this entry »

BRADLEY HOPE
The Australian
June 27, 2017

Miranda Kerr had been keeping the jewellery in a Los Angeles safe deposit box.

Australian model Miranda Kerr has handed over $US8.1 million ($A10.7m) worth of jewellery to the US Justice Department a week after lawsuits said it was purchased for her by Malaysian financier Jho Low with allegedly misappropriated funds, according to her spokesman.

Ms Kerr transferred the gifts on Friday to government agents from her safe-deposit box in Los Angeles, the spokesman said.

“From the start of the inquiry, Miranda Kerr co-operated fully and pledged to turn over the gifts of jewellery to the government,” he said. “Ms Kerr will continue to assist with the inquiry in any way she can.”

Ms Kerr isn’t a defendant in the lawsuits.

The Justice Department declined to comment. Read the rest of this entry »

by Oliver Ward, edited by Francesca Ross
ASEAN TODAY
JUNE 26, 2017

Najib’s government is yet again on thin ice over 1MDB. It is long past time for the truth.

Najib is on thin ice. The Malaysian prime minister declared the “major challenges” of 1MDB were behind him earlier this year, yet the undying scandal has again reared its head.

The latest revelation from the tangled web of corruption is US$540 million (MYR2.3 billion) of assets the Americans say were funnelled out of the 1MBD project. The money was used to buy a 22-carat pink diamond necklace. The necklace was worth US$27 million. Read the rest of this entry »