Author: Kit

Imagine a Minister who can be confused between a turtle egg and a chicken egg accusing me of being confused between a civil and criminal case over the US Department of Justice (DOJ) billion-dollar forfeiture lawsuits over 1MDB-linked assets in the world’s biggest single kleptocracy and money-laundering action and the mystery of MO1!

Sabri may be hoping that the world’s biggest kleptocracy and money-laundering 1MDB scandal will end up like his “turtle-egg” scandal – lost in a maze of contradictory statements, denials and bureaucratic inertia.

Can Sabri enlighten Malaysians what is the outcome of his “turtle egg” scandal in Sandakan last August?

When Sabri’s “turtle egg” scandal first broke in November last year about his feast of “turtle eggs” with Beluran UMNO division chief James Ratib in Sandakan three months earlier, he put the blame squarely on Beluran UMNO as the organiser of the function responsible for serving turtle eggs.

Sabri denied eating turtle eggs as he had eaten fish at the dinner, claiming that it had been “a long time since I’ve eaten turtle eggs” as it is “high in cholesterol”.

When Sabri said it was “a long time since I’ve eaten turtle eggs”, was it a confession he had violated the Wildlife Conservation Enactment 1997 which protected turtle eggs under Section 41(1) with a fine of RM50,000 or a jail sentence of up to five years, or both, upon conviction?

Later, new photographs appeared in the social media showing a half-eaten, full-boiled egg on Sabri’s dinner plate, and the fresh evidence provided a new impetus to the investigations by the Sabah Wildlife Department.

Sabri should tell Malaysians of the outcome of the investigations into the “turtle egg” dinner of the Umno Beluran division meeting dinner at Restoran Indah Keranamu in Sandakan in August last year before his creates new confusion over the 1MDB global scandal which is clearly completely out of his depths. Continue reading “Imagine a Minister who can be confused between a turtle egg and a chicken egg accusing me of being confused between a civil and criminal case over DOJ billion-dollar forfeiture lawsuits over 1MDB-linked assets and MO1!”

A week before the 59th National Day, the issue dominating the warongs, coffee shops and national conversations was “TANGKAPMO1”.

In the past three days, another issue had overtaken “Who is MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” as the hottest topic of the country – the worldwide admission by the Barisan Nasional Strategic Communications Director and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of EPU, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan, in his interview with BBC on Sept. 1 that “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” (MO1) is none other than the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

And the question: Why Abdul Rahman “outed” Najib publicly and internationally as “MO1” when for the past six weeks, the entire government apparatus from the Prime Minister to the Cabinet and the heads of the national enforcement and investigative institutions like the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Bank Negara, the Auditor-General and the Public Accounts Committee had engaged in a national “cat-and-mouse” game, putting up a national and international pretence that they do not know who is “MO1”.

Is Abdul Rahman a friend or foe of Najib? Continue reading “Call on all Malaysian organisations, whether political, civic, religious , commercial or even communal and clan associations, to take a common patriotic stand in a national and international campaign to purge and cleanse Malaysia of the international indictment of an overnight global kleptocracy”

News
abc
2.9.2016

A Malaysian cabinet minister says Prime Minister Najib Razak was the mysterious unnamed official who the US Justice Department claimed took part in rampant looting of state funds.

The admission confirmed widespread suspicions that Mr Najib was “Malaysian Official 1” mentioned in a Justice Department lawsuit filed in July.

The lawsuit — part of US moves to seize more than $1 billion in allegedly ill-gotten assets — repeatedly fingered the official as someone conspiring to divert vast sums from state investment fund 1MDB.

1MDB, or 1Malaysia Development Berhad, was launched by Mr Najib in 2009 and closely overseen by him.

In an interview with the BBC, Malaysia’s Minister of Urban Well-Being, Housing and Local Government Abdul Rahman Dahlan admitted “Malaysian Official 1” was Mr Najib. Continue reading “1MDB: Malaysian minister names PM Najib Razak as key figure in corruption scandal”

DAP National Publicity Secretary, MP for PJ Utara and member of Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Tony Pua was hauled up by the police for investigation for naming the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak, as the “Malaysian Official 1” figure in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits for forfeiture of US$1 billion assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland as a result of an international conspiracy of theft, embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of US$3.5 billion 1MDB funds.

Three days ago, the Barisan Nasional Strategic Communications Director and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of EPU, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan, told the world in his interview with BBC that “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” is none other than Prime Minister Najib, after saying earlier that “only an idiot doesn’t know who that person was” as there was no secret who is Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) mentioned in the DOJ civil lawsuits as everyone who has read the court documents or familiar with the issues would know who is the person being referred to.

Two questions are in order:

Firstly, had the police hauled up or is proposing to haul up Abdul Rahman for police questioning like Tony Pua, and if not, why not? It is the teeming examples of such double standards in upholding law and administering justice in Malaysia which are the surest signs that Malaysia is heading towards a failed state.

Secondly, are the Inspector-General of Police and the Royal Malaysian Police “idiots” that they do not know who is the person “MO1” referred to in the DOJ lawsuits, when according to Abdul Rahman, “everyone who has read the court documents or familiar with the issues would know who is the person referred to”?

Can IGP Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar give answers to these two questions? Continue reading “DAP calls for a special session of Parliament to consider sending an all-party parliamentary delegation to the UN General Assembly session at the end of the month to purge and cleanse Malaysia of international indictment as an overnight global kleptocracy”

The MCA Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong has confirmed my belief that the admission by the Barisan Nasional Strategic Communications Director and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan in his interview with BBC that “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” (MO1) referred to in the US Department of Justice (DOJ)’s biggest kleptocratic action against 1MDB and Malaysia was Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak had caught most Cabinet Ministers by surprise.

When asked by reporters today to comment on Abdul Rahman’s admission, Wee said he did not know who is “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” and suggested that the press should question Abdul Rahman himself.

I am astonished by Wee’s admission that he did not know who is “MO1” as it was six weeks ago that the US DOJ filed lawsuits which made reference to “MO1” 36 times.

Didn’t Wee think that it was a matter of national importance and even a public duty for him to try to find out who was this “MO1”, especially as he appeared to be the king-pin together with Penang billionaire Jho Low responsible for Malaysia’s international infamy and odium as an overnight global kleptocracy?

Wee’s admission is all the more shocking, especially as Abdul Rahman had gone on public record to say that “only an idiot doesn’t know what that person (i.e. MO1) was” as everyone who has read the court documents or familiar with the issues would know who was the person being referred to.

Is Wee, the MCA Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, an “idiot”? Continue reading “Call on Najib to confirm that he is “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” referred to in the US DOJ lawsuits on forfeiture of 1MDB-linked assets in United States, and if not, to explain why not”

Leslie Shaffer
CNBC.com
2.9.2016

A sweeping U.S. investigation into assets allegedly looted from a state fund in Malaysia has raised the heat on Prime Minister Najib Razik, but it wasn’t entirely clear that would dent the two countries’ ties.

Malaysia’s status as a moderate Muslim-majority nation in Southeast Asia has helped the country develop a solid relationship with the U.S., offering a bulwark against extremism. Indeed, last year, during a visit to Malaysia, U.S. President Barak Obama called the country’s voice “critical” on counter-terrorism efforts.

But the long-running scandal over billions of dollars missing from the Malaysia state fund 1MDB came to roost in the U.S. Continue reading “What’s a few missing billions among friends: Why Malaysia 1MDB scandal might not dent US ties”

By Bradley Hope, Tyler Paige, Will Welch, Maryanne Murray and Chris Canipe
Wall Street Journal
Sept. 1, 2016

Investigators say at least $3.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB. Here’s how they believe $1 billion ended up in the bank accounts of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

Every time Malaysian government investment fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd, or 1MDB, borrowed money, large amounts of the cash were quickly misappropriated, according to investigators. The money followed a circuitous path among private banks, offshore companies and funds, bank records show, and roughly $1 billion landed in the private bank accounts of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

That cash is part of $3.5 billion that was embezzled from 1MDB, according to a U.S. Justice department complaint. Investigators from seven countries are trying to figure out what happened to the money and the U.S. moved to seize $1 billion in property in July, including luxury real estate in New York and Beverly Hills, a private jet and art allegedly purchased with 1MDB money. Singapore has charged a banker with money laundering in relation to 1MDB and Abu Dhabi has arrested and frozen the assets of a top official who was deeply involved with the fund. The banker and the official haven’t commented.

This interactive graphic tracks the route that investigators believe the money took from the time it was raised by 1MDB until it landed in the private bank accounts of Mr. Najib at AmBank Bhd., a Malaysian bank, between 2011 and 2015.

The money was raised on three separate occasions and took three separate paths, sometimes flowing directly, while in other cases it split and took different routes, only to be reunited in the AmBank accounts according to the Justice Department complaint. The cash flowed through Singapore, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, the Seychelles, the British Virgin Islands and Curaçao. Other funds disappear, often into accounts controlled by other players in the scandal, the complaint said.

This description is based on bank-transfer documents, investigative files from two countries, people familiar with transactions and the 136-page Justice Department complaint, which is seeking to seize assets bought with funds misappropriated from 1MDB. Continue reading “MALAYSIA’S 1MDB SCANDAL – How $1 Billion Made Its Way to the Prime Minister”

Was the admission by the Barisan Nasional Strategic Communications Director and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan in his interview with BBC that “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” referred to in the US Department of Justice (DOJ)’s biggest kleptocratic action against 1MDB and Malaysia was Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak a deliberate and intentional act, made with the knowledge, authority and approval of Najib himself and the Cabinet Ministers, or was it unauthorized, unintended and a sheer act of “hubris” infecting government leaders that they have become “untouchable” and could do no wrong or even if they are wrong, they enjoy immunity and impunity as there is nothing the Malaysian people could do about them?

The very fact that Abdul Rahman had to come out with an explanatory statement last evening on his BBC interview would indicate that his admission that “MO1” is none other than Najib had caught the government leadership and the Cabinet, by surprise – although there is no way to ascertain whether Abdul Rahman’s admission had caught Prime Minister himself by surprise.

This is one of the rare occasions where a Minister’s interview through the electronic media had to be followed by a written explanatory statement.

While hewing to the line and admission that the “MO1” is none other than Najib and that “only an idiot doesn’t know who that person was” (how many “idiots” are there in the Cabinet and was Datuk Paul Low, the Minister for “integrity” one of the “idiots”), Abdul Rahman was forced to proclaim his loyalty and fealty to Najib by declaring that “the difference between being named as the subject of a civil lawsuit and merely being referred to in an investigation, is black and white”.

Abdul Rahman cannot be wrong in claiming that the difference between being named as the subject of a civil lawsuit and merely being referred to an investigation is “black and white”, when the difference is more mundane – between a civil action “in rem” from an action “in personam”. Continue reading “Now that the government has finally admitted “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” is Najib, what next to protect the good name and reputation of the country and Prime Minister?”

Edward Helmore in New York
Guardian
31 August 2016

Wolf of Wall Street may have been backed by donations linked to an international money laundering scandal, says the Swiss-based charity

The actor and environmentalist Leonardo DiCaprio is being urged to repay donations connected to the Malaysian fund that backed his hit film The Wolf of Wall Street and is now subject to a US justice department investigation and asset seizure effort.

The calls come from the Bruno Manser Funds, a Swiss-based charity focused on protecting the Malaysian rainforest. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the organization accused the star of “double standards” for accepting donations linked to an international money laundering scandal.

The charity claims that while DiCaprio has been engaged in an effort to protect the last remaining tracts of rainforest in Sumatra, the scandal-plagued 1MDB fund, which participated in a fundraising Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation auction at Christie’s in 2013, is connected to Malaysian deforestation less than 500 miles away. Continue reading “Leonardo DiCaprio urged to repay donations to Malaysian rainforest fund”

At long last, the Malaysian government has officially admitted that the “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” mentioned 36 times in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits for forfeiture of US$1 billion of assets as a result of an international conspiracy of theft, embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of US$3.5 billion 1MDB funds is none other than the Malaysian Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

If the Malaysian Government is going to make such an admission six weeks after the US DOJ lawsuits on July 20, why didn’t the Prime Minister and the government make such an admission promptly and immediately after the DOJ actions, especially as the Barisan Nasional Strategic Communications Director and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of EPU, Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan, has said, “only an idiot doesn’t know who that person was” as there is no secret who is Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) mentioned in the DOJ civil lawsuits, as everyone who has read the court documents or familiar with the issues would know who is the person being referred to.

Is Abdul Rahman, who made such an official admission in the interview with BBC, or the Prime Minister capable of offering an answer to this question?

Why the government’s cat-and-mouse game for the past six weeks as to who is “MO1”, to the extent that it prompted a “TangkapM01” campaign, including a demonstration organized by university students last Saturday?

Furthermore, how many Cabinet Ministers knew from the beginning six weeks ago that “MO1” was Najib, and can they explain why the Ministers shied away from the subject of DOJ lawsuits in the Cabinet for the past six weeks?

Is this because the Ministers dare not raise the subject, as it directly affects the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister in Malaysia has long ceased to be “primus inter pares” in the system of Malaysian governance but is virtually the “Master” over all the Ministers, who are totally at his beck-and-call? Continue reading “After official admission that MO1 is Najib, it is height of national cowardice and irresponsibility if Cabinet does not resolve that Prime Minister should personally address UN General Assembly to purge and cleanse Malaysia’s reputation as “global kleptocracy””

by Karishma Vaswani
Asia business correspondent
BBC
1.9.2016

The allegations shocked the world. In July, the US Department of Justice filed a lawsuit to seize the assets it says were bought with more than $3.5bn stolen from Malaysian national wealth fund 1MDB.

US Attorney General Loretta Lynch laid the case out clearly: “Unfortunately, sadly, tragically, a number of corrupt officials treated this public trust as a personal bank account.”

The lawsuit alleged that those named in the suit were responsible for the fraud. But it also mentioned a “Malaysian Official 1” more than 30 times, and alleged that this official received some $681m of the stolen money, and returned most of it.

From the details in the suit, it was widely understood that “Malaysian Official 1” is Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, but it was never officially confirmed.

But in an interview with me, Abdul Rahman Dahlan, a senior government minister in Mr Najib’s cabinet, has confirmed that “MO1” is none other than Mr Razak. Continue reading “Who is ‘Malaysian Official 1’? Case closed”

Malaysians will celebrate the 59th National Day and the 53rd Malaysia Day in five and three weeks respectively.

What should be Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s main concern in these two messages?

Will Najib clear Malaysia’s name of being a global kleptocracy in his 59th National day and 53rd Malaysia Day Messages and make it the subject of his fifth address as Prime Minister to the United Nations General Assembly next month?

When Najib became Prime Minister in April 2009, he prides himself as the ‘Father of Transformation’ or ‘Bapa Transformasi’ with a spate of transformation initiatives and an alphabet soup of acronyms such as 1Malaysia, ETP, GTP, NKRA, NKEA, SRI, NEM, BR1M and KR1M, just to name a few.

But the last transformation Malaysians want from Najib is to transform Malaysia into a global kleptocracy overnight – which the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits for forfeiture of US$1 billion of assets as a result of theft, embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of US$3.5 billion 1MDB funds have highlighted to the international community since July 20. Continue reading “Will Najib clear Malaysia’s name of being a global kleptocracy in his 59th National Day and 53rd Malaysia Day Messages and make it the subject of his address to the UN General Assembly next month?”

A new division has arisen in Malaysia for the past month – between patriotic Malaysians who want to know and tangkap “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” (“MO1) mentioned 36 times and described as a mastermind and co-conspirator in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuit for US$1 billion forfeiture of assets as a result of theft, embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of US$3.5 billion 1MDB funds and overnight turned Malaysia into a global kleptocracy and those who don’t care or want to know who is “MO1”.

Patriotic Malaysians who want to know and tangkap “MO1” were acting both in word and spirit of the Conference of Rulers’ statement issued ten months ago on October 6 last year representing the concern of the nine royal rulers that the government quickly conclude investigations into the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) affair and to take “the appropriate stern action” against those implicated.

The statement by the Conference of Rulers was the first time that the sultans of the nine royal houses have commented on the 1MDB scandal which had by then dragged on for more than a year. Continue reading “Are Malaysians to live with a new division between patriotic Malaysians who want to know and tangkap “MO1” and those who don’t care or want to know who is “MO1”?”

Was #TangkapMO1 spokesperson, Anis Syafiqah Md Yusof’s cry “Whole world knows we’ve been robbed, why are we still relaxed” the subject of the Cabinet meeting today – the fifth Cabinet meeting since the US Department of Justice (DOJ) filings on July 20 for US$1 billion forfeiture of assets as a result of theft, embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of US$3.5 billion 1MDB funds?

Anis had asked the police why they were not doing anything when it was clear that money was stolen from Malaysians – including students and the police – and why the police were not focusing on the robber instead of on Malaysians who want to see justice was done?

This cry that must be answered not only by the Inspector-General of Police as head of the police, but by all heads of national enforcement and investigative agencies responsible for upholding the rule of law, whether the Attorney-General, the Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Bank Negara Governor, the Auditor-General but also by the Cabinet and the Prime Minister.

Malaysians and the world are shocked that 35 days after the unprecedented DOJ filing of the world’s single biggest lawsuit on multi-billion ringgit theft, embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering involving the Malaysian national sovereign wealth fund, which turned Malaysia overnight into a global kleptocracy, the Malaysian government had continued to adopt an indifferent and nonchalant stance as if the integrity and reputation of the Malaysian government and nation are of no consequence at all.

Hence, Anis’ cry, which is the cry of all patriotic Malaysians: ““Whole world knows we’ve been robbed, why are we still relaxed”! Continue reading “Was Anis’ “Whole world knows we’ve been robbed, why are we still relaxed?” cry the subject of Cabinet meeting today?”