The Independent
February 19, 2017

Lawyers of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s step son Riza Aziz taunted the American justice not to take the closure of the 1MDB case in Malaysia lightly.

In documents submitted by the lawyers Riza Aziz – to fight back against the US Department of Justice (DOJ) attempt to seize his property in the US – the lawyers said:

“Seizure of the assets would require a US court to ‘second-guess and undermine’ a decision made by Malaysia’s attorney-general.

Mohamed Apandi Ali, the attorney-general, has ordered Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency to close an investigation into the transfer of $681m into the prime minister’s personal bank account, ruling that the money was a donation.

Apandi Ali also shut down a separate inquiry into SRC International, a 1MDB subsidiary. Read the rest of this entry »

Umno information chief Datuk Seri Annuar Musa has announced that Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties will be going on a nationwide roadshow to inform the public about the special task force set up by the Cabinet to probe Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) foreign exchange trading losses in the 1990s.

He said that the roadshow, scheduled to start on Feb 25, was mooted following attempts by certain parties to question the need for a task force.
Last Friday, I responded promptly to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said, who said that I should assist the special task force set up to probe the foreign exchange losses incurred by Bank Negara more than two decades ago as I had been so vocal in the 1990s in the Dewan Rakyat bringing up various motions to propose the setting up of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to probe the losses.

I declared that I am prepared to serve on a public probe into Bank Negara forex losses, but the scope of investigations should be expanded to cover the BMF and 1MDB scandals, in view of the new dimension of the country suffering the ignominy and infamy of being regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy because of the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal touching the honour, credibility and integrity of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak himself.

But there is thunderous silence from Azalina in the past three days. Read the rest of this entry »

by Eriq Gardner
The Hollywood Reporter
FEBRUARY 16, 2017

Red Granite co-founder Riza Aziz says through court documents he’s an “innocent owner” of assets allegedly derived from embezzlement.

In court papers quietly filed this past week, various entities connected to Red Granite Pictures co-founder Riza Aziz are attacking the U.S. government’s attempt to seize real estate properties in the huge $1 billion action targeting alleged corruption of Malaysian public funds.

The Justice Department has touted the 1MDB case as its biggest kleptocracy case to date, but Aziz’s lawyer, Matthew Schwartz, a former assistant U.S. attorney who once prosecuted Bernie Madoff, slams the U.S. government for failing to include “essential detail” about the supposed crimes. He’s demanding a dismissal.

Aziz is the stepson of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and, along with Joey McFarland, founded Red Granite, which financed The Wolf of Wall Street, Dumb and Dumber To and Friends With Kids.

Back in July, the Justice Department made its big move by seeking the civil forfeiture of rights to Wolf of Wall Street, Martin Scorsese’s Oscar-nominated film, as well as other assets allegedly traced to foreign corruption.

According to the government, high-level officials in Malaysia diverted assets into a fund called 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and then into shell companies with the assistance of big banks, including Goldman Sachs. Some of the money, it’ is asserted, went into Red Granite productions, and now the government is looking to claw proceeds.

Later this month, Red Granite is due to file its response to the government’s attempt to seize rights to Wolf of Wall Street, and, in advance of this, Aziz’s lawyers have foreshadowed the line of attack in motions to dismiss separate complaints filed over real estate property in Beverly Hills, New York and London. Read the rest of this entry »

All Barisan Nasional Ministers are not only guilty of colossal negligence and irresponsibility of the first degree when at Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, they could set up a special task force (STF) to conduct a probe into Bank Negara forex losses more than two decades ago but dare not breathe a word on the monstrous 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal, they have done worse.

They have shown that they lack Malaysian patriotism, that they could be indifferent and unmoved by Malaysia’s infamy and ignominy of being regarded world-wide as a global kleptocracy.

At the last Parliamentary meeting, I had explained that kleptocracy is a government of 3Ps – Pencuri, Perompak and Penyamun.

Which Malaysian who loves Malaysia and is patriotic can be indifferent to the country’s shame, infamy and ignominy of being regarded as a global kleptocracy – when even ordinary Malaysians fight shy of admitting that they are Malaysians when abroad for they will be confronted with a load of questions about Malaysia being a global kleptocracy!

I call on all Barisan Nasional Ministers to resign as Ministers if they are not prepared to do anything to give top priority to clear or purge Malaysia of the infamy and ignominy of being regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy.

Are there no other leaders in the 13 parties in Barisan Nasional who are patriotic enough to want to make the clearing or purging of Malaysia’s international infamy and ignominy as a global kleptocracy the top national agenda of the country?

If so, then it is a very sad day for Malaysia, when even the PAS President Datuk Hadi Awang has no problem with Malaysia being regarded worldwide as a global kleptocracy so long as Muslims are the leaders in the country – ignoring the fact that even if UMNO is ousted from Putrajaya in the next general elections by Pakatan Harapan and Bersatu, it is a Malay and Muslim who will be Prime Minister and not a non-Malay or a non-Muslim. Read the rest of this entry »

I fully agree with the DAP PJ Utara MP, Tony Pua, that the Minister for Communications and Multimedia, Datuk Seri Said Keruak is “completely untutorable” on the BMF, Bank Negara forex and 1MDB scandals, when Salleh could insist he was right and even brilliant to say that the Bumiputera Finance Scandal in the 1980s is worse than the ongoing 1MDB scandal as the government’s “real exposure” in 1MDB scandal is only RM1 million in its initial paid-up capital.

I tried to help Salleh understand the implications and magnitude of the 1MDB scandal, which for the first time in the nation’s history, has plunged the country into the international infamy of a global kleptocracy, suggesting three separate tutors for him for the BMF, Bank Negara forex and 1MDB scandals but it was in vain for Salleh was not prepared to be educated.

As Tony pointed out, Salleh is spinning a story that even the CEO for 1MDB, Arul Kanda has stopped spinning since a year ago – that the government exposure to the 1MDB scandal is only RM1 million, an incredibly naïve understanding of the 1MDB scandal which even students in schools would not be guilty of.

It is obvious that Najib’s Cabinet Ministers, not very outstanding in their IQs, also feel embarrassed by Salleh’s incredible naivetee, and have virtually given up on Salleh who has shown that he is “untutorable” on the BMF, Bank Negara forex and 1MDB scandals.

This was why the Cabinet at its meeting on Wednesday, discussed the possibility of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) or some official probe into Bank Negara forex losses more than two decades ago.

If Youth Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin was right on the Cabinet meeting, there was no mention not only of the current 1MDB scandal but also the BMF scandal more than three decades ago. Read the rest of this entry »

All Cabinet Ministers are guilty of colossal negligence and irresponsibility of the first degree when they could discuss the possibility of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into Bank Negara forex losses more than two decades ago but there is no mention or discussion of possible RCI into the current 1MDB kleptocratic scandal.

UMNO Youth Chief and Minister for Youth and Sports, Khairy Jamaluddin has said that the Cabinet will decide next week whether there should be an official inquiry into the Bank Negara forex losses in the early 1990s.

Khairy said the matter was discussed at the Cabinet yesterday and would be brought up again next Wednesday before a decision is made on the official probe.

Khairy has forfeited the right to represent the youths of Malaysia if he cannot voice out the views of all youths in the country that they do not want Malaysia to be known worldwide as a global kleptocracy as a result of the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal.

All Ministers would have lost the right to claim that they are patriotic and love Malaysia if they are not prepared to do anything to clear Malaysia of the ignominy and infamy of a global kleptocracy. Read the rest of this entry »

I endorse the call by the former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief, Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohaamed, that Malaysians must stand united against corruption, regardless of their political ideologies.

Speaking at a congregation at Masjid Al-Ikhlas in Shah Alam yesterday, Abu Kassim said that if corruption is used as the basis of politics, it will be difficult to resolve social issues.

More than anyone, Abu Kassim should know what he was talking about.

Abu Kassim became MACC Chief Commissioner on 1st January 2010 following the prolonged firestorm in a clear case of MACC political persecution resulting in the death of DAP aide Teoh Beng Hock, falling from the 13th floor of the MACC premises in Shah Alam on 16th July 2009, in a MACC investigation over allegations about impropriety in a RM2,400 purchase of flags for Merdeka Day celebrations by DAP State Executive Councillor, Ean Yong Hian Wah.

A Royal Commission of Inquiry in July 2011 found that Beng Hock had been “driven to commit suicide” due to interrogation by three MACC officers in a manner that was “aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous” – which was nothing but a euphemism for murder.

To his credit, Abu Kassim tried his utmost as MACC Chief Commissioner to restore the professionalism and credibility of the MACC in his seven-and-a-half years as head of the anti-corruption agency, but he failed as the murderers of Teoh Beng Hock had yet to be brought to justice.

But there were other weightier reasons for Abu Kassim’s failure. Read the rest of this entry »

The first step to Save Malaysia from global kleptocracy is to end the “global pretence” that the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB money-laundering scandal had been resolved and ceased to be an issue.

This was what the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak had promised more than a year ago.

In his meeting with some 1,000 UMNO divisional leaders and selected representatives of NGOs on 14th June 2015, Najib gave an assurance that the controversy surrounding the state investment arm 1MDB will be resolved by year-end.

In his 2016 New Year message on 31st December 2015, Najib told Malaysians that his RM50 billion 1MDB and RM2.6 billion donation twin mega scandals had been resolved and were no more issues.

Najib could not be more wrong, as illustrated by the decision yesterday of the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) ordering Coutts & Co., which is owned by the Royal Bank of Scotland, to surrender 6.5 million francs (RM29.1 million) in illegal profits from transactions linked to 1MDB. Read the rest of this entry »

Jeevan Vasagar in Singapore
Financial Times
3rd Feb 2017

Swiss financial supervisor sanctions bank over lapses linked to Malaysian fund

Swiss authorities have accused Coutts, the private bank, of repeatedly ignoring internal warnings over its dealings with a businessman who has been linked to a plot to loot billions of dollars from 1MDB, the Malaysian state investment fund.

Numerous “high-risk” transactions were processed through a Coutts account opened by the Malaysian businessman in Zurich, including the use of $35m for visits to casinos and the purchase of luxury services such as chartering yachts, according to the Swiss inquiry.

Finma, the Swiss financial regulator, ordered Coutts to pay back profits of SFr6.5m, which were allegedly generated unlawfully. It is also considering enforcement proceedings against bank employees.

The Swiss action is the latest step in a global regulatory crackdown against banks involved in the 1MDB scandal. Read the rest of this entry »

The Save Malaysia Roundtable of political and civil society leaders to save Malaysia from global kleptocracy and a failed and rogue state on Tunku’s 114th birthday anniversary in Kuala Lumpur next week is the best forum for the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his Cabinet to start the process to free Malaysia from the millstone of global kleptocracy.

This will make the Save Malaysia Roundtable doubly significant, not only on the occasion of the114th birthday anniversary of Bapa Malaysia, but to send out the clear message that the 2017 Chinese New Year of the Fire Rooster will be the only kleptocratic Chinese New Year in the history of Malaysia and that in the next year, the Chinese New Year and other national festivities would not be celebrated under a cloud of global kleptocracy!

Almost everybody is saying that it is impossible that Najib will attend the Save Malaysia Roundtable.

I agree that it appears to be quite inconceivable that Najib would attend the Save Malaysia Roundtable to save Malaysia from global kleptocracy and a failed and rogue state, as it would involve Najib’s preparedness – not seen up to now – to open up the international multi-billion dollar 1MDB kleptocratic money-laundering scandal to national and international scrutiny to prove that it is not a scandal at all, although the 1MDB scandal is making international waves and world headlines almost every other day.

The issue is whether Najib and his Cabinet are prepared to start the process to free Malaysia from the millstone of global kleptocracy, or whether they will go down in history as being responsible for Malaysia’s millstone of global kleptocracy and not prepared to do anything to remove such a millstone. Read the rest of this entry »

By Luke Hunt
The Diplomat
January 31, 2017

The embattled premier’s cosmetic measures cannot conceal economic realities in the country.

The Malaysian economy has been put through the hoops. In spite of reassurances from the country’s beleaguered premier Najib Razak that the current economic turbulence is only a temporary affair caused by offshore factors, the evidence does point to the contrary.

Najib’s government knows this. It has side-stepped long-held promises to win Malaysia recognition as a developed country by 2020. And it has announced a string of statements and measures designed to either distract from these economic realities or aim to address them.

One revenue-raising initiative announced was charging Thai vehicles a fee for simply crossing their land border. That move has angered the Thai transport ministry which is now mulling a reciprocal tax. Read the rest of this entry »