The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak yesterday denied that there was any attempt to illegally smuggle the RM40 million “donation for Sabah Umno” into the country.
Responding to a question at a press conference at the UMNO headquarters yesterday, Najib curtly said “No” when asked whether there was any basis to the opposition claim that the funds were smuggled or laundered through Hong Kong, adding: “It has already been explained in Parliament”.
Nothing has been explained in Parliament as to whether the RM40 million cash in Singapore currency which Sabah timber trader Michael Chia had in his luggage before boarding a flight to Kuala Lumpur at the Hong Kong International airport on August 14, 2008 and was arrested for currency trafficking and laundering was “smuggled or laundered money”.
All that Parliament had been told is the Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman had been cleared of “corruption” as the RM40 million concerned were “contribution” to Sabah UMNO and not for Musa’s personal use, and that “no element of corruption was proven” – although this flies in the face of media reports at the time that Chia had told the Hong Kong authorities that the money belonged to Musa.
There are two separate questions here: firstly, whether the RM40 million cash was a transaction in an offence of corruption, whether involving Musa or UMNO Sabah; and secondly, whether the RM40 million cash was dirty money derived from corruption and/or illegal activities which had to be smuggled or laundered into the country.
Nazri has reportedly retracted what he told Parliament on Thursday and clarified that it was the MACC and not Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) which had cleared Musa of corruption on the ground that the RM40 million cash was a contribution to Sabah UMNO and not for Musa’s personal use.
But when Najib denied that the RM40 million cash was “smuggled or laundered” money, claiming that it had already been explained in Parliament, it invites the question how Najib or Nazri know that the RM40 million cash in Singapore currency for which Michael Chia was arrested at the HK International Airport on August 14, 2008 for currency trafficking or laundering was NOT “smuggled or laundered” money?
Did MACC also clear Michael Chia’s RM40 million cash in Singapore currency as clean money and not dirty corruption or laundered money, and if so, MACC should explain how it arrive at this finding or it risk being dubbed as Malaysian Abetting Corruption Commission instead of Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.
Anyone bringing RM40 thousand in a luggage bag without declaring it will be arrested for smuggling.
Come to Umno B…RM40 million…smuggled in is not a crime.
That money cannot see the daylight.
It is stolen money..that cannot go through normal channel to come in.
Who does Nazri and Najib think Malaysians are??
“Satu Umno Style”
Still horsing about.
Nazri and Najib should stop treating the rakyat like little children.
Here is the other thing – if the money was clean, it took them 4 YEARS to confirm its Sabah UMNO’s money and get ICAC to drop the case? Why so long?
The PM has confirmed Scorpene torpedoed Labuan Offshore Finacial Centre to smithereen. Why is there a need to have offshore funds none? Just ride on the UMNO donation ticket , Sing $ Green buck anything – just declare to the Kastam it s for UMNO , although not sure which borang lah.
How stupid can this Chia be to stuff so much cash into a carryon luggage which will be scanned by X ray machine, unless there has been prior arrangement with X-ray operator to ignore the detected cash inside bag. Could this RM40 million not the first time such huge amount be smuggled through, either into or out of Malaysia. Remembered the’ Me no speak English’ of a Menteri Besar being caught in Australia?- he managed to get his huge cash through the Malaysian X-ray machine to board plane to Australia, but Aussie caught him.
let see, rm 40 m, equal say S$ 16.2 m, say S$10,000 a piece, 1,620 pieces, still quite a bundle !
Anyway, if ok money, why take 4 years to say so, and why cash, mot any other form?? come on we are in electronic age now !! think rakyat , all below 7 years old or what ??
Why take four years? They had expected that everyone will have forgotten about it but no, we have Sarawak Reports and the like to piece it all together and keep reminding the people. Then finding no way out, they have to cook up some story and got their usual story teller Nazri, the father of Nedim, to tell the fairy tale.
Next I hear they are going to get Nazri, the father of Nedim, to tell the French investigating judges that the Euro 115 million (RM 600 million) ‘commission’ for the Scorpene submarines was actually a ‘donation’ by some unnamed French donor for UMNO too and there is no fraud or criminality involved and this has been confirmed by MACC, the AG and Najib himself after their ‘thorough’ investigations. Sorry Suaram. You should see it coming soon.
And Nazri, the story teller, and the father of Nedim, will claim that one Altantuya never got murdered because after ‘thorough’ investigations, the government cannot find any records of such a person ever entering or leaving the country. So how can such a person, if she ever existed, be murdered in the jungles of the country ?
So much cash being carried around is definitely illegal money. Anybody with a functioning brain can tell you that. Looks like nobody in our cabinet has one.
The Modus Operandi is:
As for bribe.
If not caught….. enjoy it
If caught, just claim it is a “political donation”.. you will walk away as an innocent man…. never mind it is really converted to political donation….. there are plenty of more chances in the future…. with the “alibi” of political donation as your safety net……you are “protected” by the devil that we know….
perhaps many high ranking Policemen, Immigration Officers, Custom Officers, Forestry Officers…. will join UMNO so that they will be protected with this “POLITICAL DONATION” alibi /safety net…
You help me, I Help you
Pandai makan pandai simpan….. kalau tertangkap, katakan dan jadikannya “political donation”…….Korupsi 1Malaysia(K1M)…