Archive for category Corruption
I will ask for a third time in the MQT on Tuesday the question what the government is doing to purge the country of the infamy of a “global kleptocracy” – a test of whether Malaysian Parliament is first or third world Parliament
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Sunday, 23 October 2016
I will ask for a third time in the third session of Minister’s Question Time (MQT) next Tuesday the question what the government is doing to purge the country of the infamy of a “global kleptocracy”, which will be a test of whether the Malaysian Parliament is capable of becoming a first-world Parliament or is destined to be relegated to a third-world Parliament status.
I had boycotted the two MQTs last Tuesday and Thursday in protest agains the parliamentary charade pretending that Malaysia’s infamy for being a “global kleptocracy” does not exist.
I had on both MQT occasions submitted a question to ask the Prime Minister what action the government was taking to cleanse and purge the national infamy of being regarded world-wide as a “global kleptocracy”, but on both occasions, the question was not picked by the Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, as one of the three questions for answer during the MQT.
During the first day of Parliament last Monday, the Speaker made a most shocking and extraordinary ruling, barring all questions on the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit filed on July 20 seeking forfeiture of US$1billion 1MDB-linked assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland from over US$3 billion international embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of 1MDB funds on the ground that it is “sub judice”.
Pandikar is making a Speaker’s ruling which sets a world precedent, for no other Parliament in the world applies the “sub judice” rule arising from lawsuits in foreign countries. Read the rest of this entry »
Sad, shocking and most embarrassing that there is not a word to refute Malaysia’s infamy as a global kleptocracy as a result of 1MDB global financial scandal in 2017 Budget
Posted by Kit in Budget Debate, Corruption, Najib Razak, Parliament on Saturday, 22 October 2016
The very fact that the question “Was it a budget speech, or a three-ring circus ringmaster’s pitch?” was asked testifies to the fact that Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s 2017 Budget speech in Parliament yesterday was the most weird, unorthodox and even unbudgetary speech in the nation’s 59-year history – including Najib’s previous seven budgetary speeches from 2009 to 2015.
The writer who posed the question whether it was a budget speech or a three-ring circus felt it was unbecoming for the Prime Minister-cum-Finance Minister, “like magician pulling rabbits out of a hat, Najib seemed to have filled the House with this person and that, whom he called out to each and every time his speech went to the part of goodies that he threw their way” – there were “cabbies and mosque imams, tok siaks and bilals, athletes, scientists, policemen, soldiers, micro loan programme Tekun participants, and yes, even the dead”.
The writer asked: “Is he unveiling a budget, or a circus troupe, as he name-drops all through his speeches, naming this person, that person living and some who have passed?”
Where did Najib get inspiration for such a most weird and unorthodox budget presentation?
From Donald Trump, who blazed new “breakthroughs” with the special guests he invited to the US Presidential debates, or from Robert Mugabe, who had a special “four-eyes only” meeting with Najib – meeting between the world’s oldest kleptocrat with the world’s newest kleptocrat – although no photographs of the dubious event in Kuala Lumpur was released to the media? Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysia intent on becoming laughing stock of the world – from “hotdog” furore to Speaker of global kleptocracy trying to ensure integrity of justice system in United States when we cannot ensure integrity of Malaysian judiciary
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Friday, 21 October 2016
Malaysia seems intent to be constantly in international headlines as the laughing stock of the world – the latest being the “hotdog” furore and the Speaker of a global kleptocracy trying to ensure integrity of justice system in the United States!
I fully agree with former Cabinet Minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz who lamented that Malaysia’s reputation as a moderate Muslim nation is being negated with unfavourable developments which paint the country as nation governed in some spheres by people with horses blinkers – like the furore involving Auntie Anne’s “pretzel dog”, with people in power who had gone “doggone loco” trying to change the name of popular Western snack.
Then we have the Speaker of Parliament of a country which is the latest entry of the obnoxious club of “global kleptocracies” trying to ensure the integrity of the justice system in the United States, when we cannot ensure the integrity of the Malaysian judiciary in the first place.
Yesterday, Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia says it is sub judice to discuss the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) suit on 1MDB assets, because the Hansard could then be cited by the DOJ in the US hearing.
He said: “Even if no one from Malaysia is called to testify in the trial in America, they can quote what is being said in the Malaysian Parliament in order to influence the trial in the America.
“This is why I did not allow the debate, because every argument made here can be used in the American trial, even if it is in a foreign land.
“What the minister said here can be quoted in the American trial. In my opinion, this can influence the trial.” Read the rest of this entry »
Continued boycott of second Minister’s Question Time: Parliament must bear part responsibility if Malaysia TI CPI 2016 plunges because of Malaysia’s world-wide infamy as the newest global kleptocracy
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Thursday, 20 October 2016
Today is the second day of Minister’s Question Time (MQT) which I am continuing to boycott in protest against the parliamentary charade pretending that Malaysia’s infamy for being a “global kleptocracy” does not exist.
I had again submitted a question for the MQT today to ask the Prime Minister what action the government was taking to cleanse and purge the national infamy of being regarded world-wide as a “global kleptocracy”, a question which was not picked by the Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia, as one of the three questions for answer during the MQT debut on Tuesday.
This question has again been rejected for the MQT today.
All over the world, the reverberations from Malaysia being regarded world-wide as a global kleptocracy as a result of the 1MDB global financial scandal continues unabated, but in Malaysia, Parliament is the latest recruit of the great national pretence that Malaysia’s infamy being regarded world-wide as a global kleptocracy as a result of the 1MDB global financial scandal does not exist. Read the rest of this entry »
Is UMNO leading MCA/Gerakan/MIC/BN or PAS down the garden path on Hadi’s hudud bill?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Wednesday, 19 October 2016
On May 26 in Parliament, the UMNO leadership led MCA, Gerakan, MIC and the Sabah/Sarawak Barisan Nasional parties down the garden path when without any Barisan Nasional “consensus”, the UMNO Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Azalina Othman Said unilaterally and arbitrarily, moved a motion in Parliament to give priority to PAS President, Datuk Seri Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill motion over all official business.
In the last two days in Parliament, the UMNO leadership led PAS President, PAS MPs and the PAS membership down the garden path when Hadi’s private member’s bill motion was pushed from Item No. 4 yesterday to Item No. 7 today.
Although PAS members throughout the country expected Hadi’s private member’s bill motion to be passed in Parliament either yesterday or today, it is now clear that Hadi’s private member’s bill motion is unlikely to be debated in this first week of Parliament, which means it could not be debated, if at all, only in the last two days of the present budget meeting on Nov. 23 and 24 as Parliament will begin debating the 2017 Budget on Monday.
The intriguing question is who UMNO is leading down the garden path – MCA/Gerakan/MIC/BN parties in Sabah and Sarawak or PAS? Read the rest of this entry »
Boycott of Minister’s Question Time (MQT) debut in protest against Parliamentary charade pretending Malaysia’s international infamy for being “global kleptocracy” does not exist
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Tuesday, 18 October 2016
Today is supposed to be a historic day for the Malaysian Parliament with the debut of the half-hour Minister’s Question Time (MQT), touted as the most significant of the Speaker’s parliamentary reforms.
I have however boycotted the debut of the MQT in protest against the parliamentary charade pretending that Malaysia’s infamy for being a “global kleptocracy” does not exist.
I had submitted a question for the MQT debut today to ask the Prime Minister what action the government was taking to cleanse and purge the national infamy of being regarded world-wide as a “global kleptocracy”.
This question was rejected by the Speaker, Tan Sri Pandikar Amin Mulia for today’s MQT.
After the Speaker’s ruling yesterday barring all questions on the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit filed on July 20 seeking forfeiture of US$1billion 1MDB-linked assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland from over US$3 billion international embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of 1MDB funds on the ground that it is “sub judice”, the rejection of my question for the MQT would appear to be part of a blatant and unashamed attempt to censor and outlaw all debate, discussion or question not only about the DOJ action but anything concerning 1MDB and Malaysia’s infamous and iniquitous appellation as a “global kleptocracy” in the Malaysian Parliament.
I fully agree with former Court of Appeal judge Datuk Hishammuddin Mohd Yunus who asked what “sub judice” was the Speaker talking about, as Ministers should not be “barred” from answering questions in Parliament on the United States Department of Justice’s (DOJ) civil suit involving the alleged misappropriation of 1MDB funds for the reason of sub judice. Read the rest of this entry »
History will not look kindly at 13th Parliament as it pretends that the 1MDB financial scandal and infamy of Malaysia as “global kleptocracy” are no issues at all!
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Tuesday, 18 October 2016
History will not look kindly at 13th Parliament as it pretends that the 1MDB financial scandal and infamy of Malaysia as “global kleptocracy” are no issues at all!
We must thank young creative architect Tey Tat Sing for sharing with us his vision of transforming our present living surroundings into a more humane, connected, integrated and holistic living spaces with a “soul”.
I particularly appreciate Tat Sing’s reimagination as I find the very unconventional décor of the Library for Social Democracy very soothing to the nerves and the soul, especially after a very stressful, disconnected and dehumanizing day – attending the first day of the 2017 Budget Parliament and at the end of it, being caught in more than an hour of a totally no-reason traffic jam in Kuala Lumpur, where traffic lights at intersections changed from red to green for close to ten times, but no traffic moved!
I thank REFSA (Research for Social Advancement) Chairman Liew Chin Tong for inviting to launch this Library for Social Democracy.
I am reminded of the great libraries during the golden age of Islamic civilization in the ninth through thirteenth centuries which mark an era of scientific, religious, philosophical and cultural development the scale and depth of which had never been in world history before or since.
There was Abbasids’ House of Wisdom in Baghdad which was at once a university, library, translation institute and research lab, all on one campus.
Baghdad had reached its highest reputation and glorious status during the reigns of the Caliphs Al-Rasheed, Al-Ma’moun, Al-Mu’tadhid and Al-Muktafi.
It was the centre for Islamic (if not the world) culture and civilisation, as well as the headquarters for the Arts, Sciences and Letters. It was crowded with Scientists, Physicians, philosophers, Mathematicians, Astronomers, Men of Letters, Poets, Writers, Translators, Scribes, and Professionals in the various arts and crafts.
Baghdad’s House of Wisdom met its sad, tragic and brutal end in 1,258 with the Mongol invasion of Baghdad and the killing of the last Abbasid Caliph, the slaughter of the Caliph’s entire family and relatives, as well as those in the Caliphate Court – marking the end of the Abbasid Caliphate.
The magnificent collection of books and manuscripts of the House of Wisdom was thrown into the muddy waters of the River Tigris whose brown colour turned black for days as a result of the washing away of the ink used in the writing of these books and manuscripts. Read the rest of this entry »
World’s largest gathering of blind and mute MPs on Monday – when Malaysian Parliament reconvenes pretending the 1MDB financial scandal and infamy of Malaysia as “global kleptocracy” do not exist
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Sunday, 16 October 2016
The world’s largest gathering of blind and mute Members of Parliament will meet on Monday when the Malaysian Parliament reconvenes with the Barisan Nasional MPs, with the exception of former Finance Minister, Datuk Husni Hanazlah, pretending that the 1MDB global financial scandal and the infamy of Malaysia as “global kleptocracy” do not exist.
All patriotic Malaysians who love the country deeply and passionately must feel ashamed and outraged that since the May meeting of Parliament some five months ago, Malaysia has acquired the international infamy being a “global kleptocracy”, especially after the July 20 lawsuit initiated by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to forfeit over US$1 billion of 1MDB-linked assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland from over US$3 billion international embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of 1MDB funds and the recent actions by the Swiss and Singapore financial regulatory authorities to either close down banks or institute criminal proceedings in connection with 1MDB money-laundering crimes.
The 1MDB global scandal and the infamy of Malaysia becoming a “global kleptocracy” should be the first item of parliamentary business when Parliament reconvenes on Monday, but from the Parliamentary Order Paper, it is clear that these two issues are totally absent from the radar of the Malaysian Government and Parliament.
One can in fact use the 1MDB and Malaysia’s infamy as “global kleptocracy” as a yardstick to judge whether a Minister or a Member of Parliament is a Malaysian patriot and nationalist, as no Malaysian can claim to be a patriot, nationalist or love Malaysia if he or she is not ashamed and outraged by the disgraceful appellation of Malaysia as a “global kleptocracy”, as if Malaysians are happy to be ruled by PPP – Pencuri, Perompak dan Penyamun.
It is to the eternal shame of the Malaysian Parliament that no oral question on the 1MDB global financial scandal is slated to be answered in the 90 minute of question time on the first day of Parliament on Monday – although there are seven out of the 56 oral questions listed for Monday’s Question Time, but they are placed so behind the queue that they will not be answered at all. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysian Fund 1MDB Linked to White House Visit
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Friday, 14 October 2016
By BRADLEY HOPE and COLLEEN MCCAIN NELSON
Wall Street Journal
Oct. 13, 2016
Investigators look into whether money embezzled from the fund paid for lobbying seeking closer U.S.-Malaysian relations
WASHINGTON — Malaysia’s government-fund scandal, one of the world’s biggest alleged white-collar crimes, has been connected to a Hollywood studio, high-end U.S. real estate — and now, a visit to the White House.
Federal investigators are looking into whether money improperly obtained from the Malaysian fund was paid to a businessman who later arranged an Oval Office visit for relatives of the Malaysian prime minister, according to people familiar with the probe.
The businessman is Frank White Jr., an entrepreneur who helped start an investment firm called DuSable Capital Management LLC, along with partners including a rap star. Mr. White has also raised funds for President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
Investigators believe about $10 million allegedly embezzled from 1Malaysia Development Bhd., known as 1MDB, flowed indirectly to Mr. White in a business deal, said people familiar with the probe.
Additionally, 1MDB paid $69 million to buy a DuSable unit out of a deal they had agreed on to build solar-power plants, the firms said last year. Read the rest of this entry »
Former Finance Minister Husni Hanadzlah is the only BN MP who had put in a parliamentary question out of the 1,800 oral and written questions in the 25-day budget meeting on the 1MDB scandal
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, MCA, Najib Razak, Parliament, UMNO on Friday, 14 October 2016
I had several shocks when going through the Parliamentary Order Paper for the 25-day budget meeting of Parliament from Oct. 17 to 24th November.
One is that PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill motion is item No. 4, which means that after the Youth and Sports Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin’s motion to congratulate the Malaysian Olympians and Para-Olympians for their sterling performances in the two recent world sporting events; the Advocates (Sabah) (Amendment) Bill 2016 and a Treasury motion to convert a RM500 million loan to Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia Berhad (SME Bank) to equity, Hadi’s private member’s motion may come up for debate and voting on Tuesday, or even on Monday!
This will lead to be tectonic shift of the fundamental basis and principles of the Merdeka Constitution 1957 and the Malaysia Agreement 1963, with far-reaching consequences not only the nation-building process but to the very survival and integrity of the Malaysian federation since 1963.
Another surprise and shock is the lowly and irrelevant position given to the one issue which had made Malaysia infamous internationally – the 1MDB global financial scandal which had catapulted the nation into world rank of a “global kleptocracy”.
The 1MDB global scandal should the first item of parliamentary business when Members of Parliament reconvened on Monday 17th October, after a break of five long months, when the country’s reputation was battered all over the world in a tide of negative and adverse international developments about the 1MDB scandal, the worst being the July 20 lawsuit initiated by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) to forfeit over US$1 billion of 1MDB-linked assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland from over US$3 billion international embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of 1MDB funds as well as the crackdowns by the Singapore and Swiss financial regulatory authorities.
But from the Order Paper for the forthcoming 25-day meeting of Parliament, it would appear that the 1MDB global scandal is not a major concern or worry for Malaysia at all – and totally absent from the radar of the Malaysian Government.
No Malaysian can claim to be a patriot or love Malaysia if he or she is not ashamed and outraged by the disgraceful appellation of Malaysia as a “global kleptocracy” – as if Malaysians are happy to be ruled by thieves and robbers.
In fact, I would go so far as to say that no Malaysian is fit to be a Member of Parliament or Minister in the country if he or she is not ashamed and outraged by appellation of Malaysia as as a “global kleptocracy”. Read the rest of this entry »
Will there be a tectonic shift of the fundamental basis of the Merdeka Constitution 1957 and Malaysia Agreement 1963 next week in Parliament if Hadi’s private member’s bill is passed?
Posted by Kit in Constitution, Corruption, Financial Scandals, Islam, Najib Razak, Parliament, PAS on Thursday, 13 October 2016
I visited Parliament to collect the Parliamentary Order Paper for the 25-day budget meeting of Parliament from Oct. 17 to 24th November, and I find the parliamentary business planned most surprising and even shocking.
Firstly, will there be a tectonic shift of the fundamental basis of the Merdeka Constitution 1957 and Malaysia Agreement 1963 next week in Parliament if the PAS President Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang’s private member’s bill is passed?
Hadi’s private member’s is slated as the fourth item of parliamentary business after a motion by the Youth and Sports Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin to congratulate the Malaysian Olympians and Para-Olympians for their sterling performances in the two recent world sporting events; the Advocates (Sabah) (Amendment) Bill 2016 and a Treasury motion to convert a RM500 million loan to Small Medium Enterprise Development Bank Malaysia Berhad (SME Bank) to equity.
Under the circumstances, the possibility that Hadi’s private member’s bill motion will come up for debate and voting either on Tuesday, or even on Monday, cannot be ruled out. Read the rest of this entry »
QuickTake Q&A: Malaysia’s 1MDB Fund Spawns Worldwide Probes
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Thursday, 13 October 2016
by Shamim Adam and Laurence Arnold
Bloomberg
October 11, 2016
Malaysia’s state-owned investment fund, 1MDB, was supposed to attract foreign investment. Instead, it has spurred criminal and regulatory investigations around the world that have cast an unflattering spotlight on financial deal-making, election spending and political patronage under Prime Minister Najib Razak. A Malaysian parliamentary committee identified at least $4.2 billion in irregular transactions. Singapore on Oct. 11 announced it will revoke the local license for a second bank for breaches of anti-money laundering rules in relation to its 1MDB probe.
1. What is 1MDB?
It’s a government investment company — full name, 1Malaysia Development Berhad — that took shape in 2009 under Najib, who went on to lead its advisory board. Its early initiatives included buying privately owned power plants and planning a new financial district in Kuala Lumpur. The fund proved better at borrowing — it accumulated $12 billion in debt — than at luring large-scale investment. Read the rest of this entry »
Why is Attorney-General Apandi so worked up over Bilquis Hijjas’ innocuous yellow balloons but utterly numb and insensitive to Malaysia’s international infamy from the epithet of being a “global kleptocracy”?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 11 October 2016
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 »
Criminal Charges Filed Against Two Ex-Bankers in 1MDB Malaysia Fund Case
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Tuesday, 11 October 2016
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 »
Question on everyone’s lips after the Ops Water in Sabah is why there is no Ops 1MDB by the MACC when it is the 1MDB scandal which had catapulted Malaysia to the infamous ranks of a “global kleptocracy”
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Johore, Najib Razak, UMNO on Monday, 10 October 2016
The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, was quite mischievous when he sent a message to the Gerakan annual general assembly asking Gerakan to have the courage of its convictions, knowing that Gerakan has neither.
This was illustrated in yesterday’s Gerakan annual general assembly, which caught headlines for a very Trumpish speech by one of the delegates, making headlines for its sexist and misogynist imagery.
But what transfixed Malaysians and on everyone’s lips in the past few days were never raised at the neither-courage-nor-conviction Gerakan general assembly – why the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had no Ops 1MDB when it had an Ops Water in Sabah, which seized among other things, more than RM114 million in cash and accounts, 19.3 kg of gold jewellery worth about RM3.64 million, some 97 designer ladies handbags worth RM500,000, nine luxury vehicles and some 127 land titles from the Director and Deputy Director of Sabah Water Department for alleged abuse of power and corruption involving infrastructure projects worth RM3.3 billion.
The RM3.3 billion Ops Water scandal pale into insignificance when compared to the RM55 billion 1MDB scandal, and it is the latter which catapulted Malaysia into the infamous ranks of “global kleptocracy”, especially after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits on July 20 on the forfeiture of over US$1billion of assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland from over US$3 billion embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of 1MDB funds, and after several countries like Singapore and Switzerland had taken action against banks, financial institutions and their staff in their countries for being implicated in the international conspiracy on embezzlement and money-laundering of 1MDB funds.
More and more Malaysians have voiced their concern that the country is taking a wrong trajectory which is headed towards a failed state – a worry which was shared even by a leading Johoreian, former Deputy Prime Minister Tun Musa Hitam recently. Read the rest of this entry »
Malaysians should vote in next general election to purge and cleanse the country of infamy of global kleptocracy if Cabinet and Parliament are not prepared to defend national dignity and reputation by getting rid of such an epithet
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Parliament on Sunday, 9 October 2016
Parliament will reconvene on 17th October for a 25-sitting budget session till Nov. 24.
The question is whether Parliament will give priority and importance at this meeting to purge and cleanse the country of the infamy of a global kleptocracy, an epithet which Malaysia acquired after the May meeting of Parliament – after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) filed lawsuits under the US Kleptocracy Assets Recovery Initiative on July 20 for the forfeiture of US$1 billion of assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland from over US$3 billion international conspiracy of embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of 1MDB funds.
Even at the May meeting of Parliament, Malaysia had already acquired a seedy reputation as far as public integrity, accountability, transparency and good governance are concerned, as Malaysia had suffered the ill-repute of being placed third in the international website,foreignpolicy.com’s ranking of the world’s “worst corruption scandal in 2015”, TIME magazine’s second ranking of “global corruption” in March, the Economist’s second placing in its second index of crony capitalism in May apart from falling four places and ranked No. 54 among 168 countries in the 2015 Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perception Index (CPI) – a far cry from the National Transformation Programme (NTP) target for Malaysia to be in the top 30 countries in the TI CPI in five years’ time in 2020.
The question is whether there is a great sense of outrage and shame among our Ministers and Members of Parliament at the infamy of the epithet of a global kleptocracy for Malaysia or whether our Ministers and Members of Parliament take an indifferent, nonchalant and “tidak apa” attitude to such an epithet for Malaysia.
This is in fact a test of patriotism for a Malaysian – a person who is indifferent, unconcerned and nonchalant about the infamy of the epithet of a “global kleptocracy” for the country cannot be a Malaysian patriot. Read the rest of this entry »
MACC’s biggest anti-corruption “haul” in nation’s history unlikely to save Malaysia from continuing to slip down in TI CPI unless Malaysia is prepared to purge the newly acquired infamy of being an “global kleptocracy” as a result of 1MDB scandal
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Saturday, 8 October 2016
Congratulations are in order to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for the “biggest corruption bust ever” in the nation’s history with the success of its “Op Water” with the seizure of RM114million from the top two officials of the Sabah Water Department, including RM53.7mil in cold hard cash that took more than 30 officers 15 hours to count and frozen RM60 million in bank accounts, seized 19.3 kg of gold jewellery worth about RM3.64 million, some 97 designer ladies handbags worth RM500,000, nine luxury vehicles and some 127 land titles.
This is the biggest seizure involving civil servants as the most the anti-corruption agency had confiscated in the past was RM10 million.
While Malaysians are agog at the scale and magnitude of the ill-gotten gains seized by the MACC in Sabah, there is no real surprise and no elation among Malaysians that MACC’s Op Water marked its coming of age as a fully independent and professional anti-corruption agency able to combat the scourge of corruption in Malaysia without fear or favour, whether against ikan bilis or the sharks.
In fact, MACC’s Op Water had deepened public skepticism and cynicism about the battle against corruption in Malaysia, as Malaysians are convinced that if there is a full-fledged and no-holds-barred anti-corruption war in Malaysia, Op Water seizure would pale into insignificance in scale and magnitude with regard to the ill-gotten gains involved, as they would not just be in tens or hundreds of millions of ringgit, but in tens or a hundred times in billions and tens of billions of ringgit!
I fully agree with former MACC advisory panel member, Tan Sri Robert Phang, who want the MACC to probe the higher ups involved, as the two high-ranking civil servants in the Sabah Water Department could be frontmen for certain politicians, as it is difficult to believe that the duo had by themselves managed to amass the millions of ringgit seized from them. Read the rest of this entry »
Swiss Authorities Repeat Call for Malaysia’s Help in 1MDB Probe
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Saturday, 8 October 2016
By JOHN LETZING
Wall Street Journal
Oct. 6, 2016
The Swiss attorney general’s office made an initial request for assistance last January
ZURICH—Swiss authorities said they are trying to advance a probe into the alleged misappropriation of billions of dollars from a Malaysian state investment fund but haven’t yet received anticipated help from Malaysian counterparts.
Switzerland’s Office of the Attorney General said in a statement on Wednesday that its probe, begun in August last year, had uncovered an alleged “Ponzi scheme” at the fund, 1Malaysia Development Bhd., or 1MDB.
Malaysia’s attorney general said Thursday that it had not yet received the additional request for assistance from Switzerland. It didn’t mention an earlier request from January, which Swiss officials say is pending but said it was committed to international cooperation. Read the rest of this entry »
Najib-Mugabe meeting very troubling: a get-together of one of world’s oldest surviving kleptocrats and the new kleptocrat on the block?
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak on Friday, 7 October 2016
The news today that President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe is on a working visit to Malaysia and will have a meeting with the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak is very troubling to Malaysians deeply concerned about democracy and human rights as well as integrity and good governance.
Will the Najib-Mugabe meeting be a get-together and note-exchanging between one the world’s oldest surviving kleptocrats and the latest new kleptocrat on the block?
The term “kleptocrat” was only coined in the late 1990s to describe African dictators like Joseph Mobutu, Sani Abacha and Robert Mugabe plundering their own countries.
Wikipedia defines “kleptocracy” as “power, rule by thieves” and is applied to a government seen as having a particularly severe and systemic problem with officials or a ruling class (collectively, kleptocrats) taking advantage of corruption to extend their personal wealth and political power. Typically this system involves the embezzlement of state funds at the expense of the wider population, sometimes without even the pretense of honest service. Read the rest of this entry »
“Biggest corruption bust ever” more a reflection that MACC has yet to become an independent and professional anti-corruption agency to combat the scourge of corruption which has become a runaway problem tarring the country as “global kleptocracy”
Posted by Kit in Corruption, Financial Scandals, Najib Razak, Parliament on Thursday, 6 October 2016
This is the biggest “corruption bust ever” in the nation’s history – RM114million recovered from the top two officials of the Sabah Water Department, including RM53.7mil in cold hard cash that took more than 30 officers 15 hours to count.
Also recovered from the homes and offices of the department’s director and his deputy were nine mostly luxury vehicles, expensive watches, jewellery and 94 high-end handbags.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said the cash – RM45mil seized from the director and RM7.5mil from his deputy – was found stashed inside safes, cupboards, drawers and also a car boot.
Also seized was RM1.18mil in over half-a-dozen foreign currencies.
Among the vehicles seized were a BMW 535i (which costs RM500,000), Mercedes-Benz C300 (RM308,000), Range Rover SE V8 (RM1.1mil), Mazda6 (RM195,000), Volvo XC60 (RM270,000), Lexus ES (RM260,000), Audi A1 (RM180,000) and Ford Ranger (RM112,000) – in all, the cars total some RM3mil in value.
The luxury watches comprised brands like Patek Philippe, Tag Heuer, Rolex, Cartier and Guess while the handbags included Chanel, Burberry, Versace, Louis Vuitton and Hermes.
The two senior state civil officers were arrested by MACC yesterday and remanded for a week for investigations into alleged kickbacks involving RM3.3bil worth of federal infrastructure projects.
The corruption figure may even reach a staggering RM300 million as MACC revealed the amount of money, in cash and from accounts of the suspects, recovered so far did not include the value of properties and possible deposits made overseas. Read the rest of this entry »
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