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Tag: Malaysia

  • Mahathir Attacks Singapore’s Handling Of 1MDB Issue

    Mahathir Attacks Singapore’s Handling Of 1MDB Issue

    Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad has attacked Singapore’s handling of alleged money-laundering linked to Malaysian state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhard (1MDB), accusing the Republic of not targeting those accused of siphoning off more than billions from the fund.

    “Notice that the Government of Singapore is very reluctant to pinpoint the people involved in this corruption,” Dr Mahathir said in an interview with The Financial Times. “It affects Singapore’s reputation as a financial centre. It is not doing the right thing. The people who accepted the bribes are not the people who are laundering the money.”

    1MDB is the subject of investigations in six countries. Last month, the United States’ Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit to seize more than US$1 billion (S$1.35 billion) in assets bought with money it said was embezzled from the firm — by people close to Prime Minister Najib Razak, who has denied any wrongdoing and said that Malaysia takes good governance seriously and will fully cooperate with investigators.

    A day after the DOJ lawsuit, Singaporean authorities announced that they had seized bank accounts and properties worth S$240 million in a probe on possible money laundering linked to 1MDB.

    The assets belonged to Malaysian financier Jho Low, alleged by US prosecutors to have played a central role in the operations of 1MDB, and his family.

    The Monetary Authority of Singapore has vowed to fix lapses in the financial sector with tougher controls and industry supervision and is creating a dedicated money-laundering unit, after taking the rare step of ordering the closure of a Swiss bank’s branch in Singapore earlier this year.

    “Appropriate actions will be taken against those who have broken Singapore’s laws,” FT quoted a spokesperson for the Singapore attorney-general as saying. “As investigations are still ongoing, we are not able to comment any further.”

    Dr Mahathir, a former mentor turned critic of Mr Najib, recently announced that he was launching a political party that aims to be a rallying point for disaffected members of the ruling United Malays National Organisation.

    “It is quite obvious that the party that is being led by Najib is being used by Najib to cover up,” Dr Mahathir told FT. “The FBI (US Federal Bureau of Investigation) and DoJ have exposed the wrongdoing.”

    He added in the interview that the primary goal of his new party was “to get rid of Najib”. “For that purpose it will work together with other opposition parties, on this issue alone.”

    Malaysia’s Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak recently claimed that Dr Mahathir’s allies were behind the US’ lawsuit, an accusation Dr Mahathir denied on Monday (Aug 1).

    “I didn’t make any such report,” he wrote in his blog.

     

    Source: TODAY Online

  • ‘Reasonable’ To Expect Six-Month Wait For New Passport: Malaysia Authorities

    ‘Reasonable’ To Expect Six-Month Wait For New Passport: Malaysia Authorities

    Those intending to renew or apply for passports would have to endure long lines and wait hours…for another six months.

    The Immigration Department, in acknowledging a shortage of passports, said they expected the matter to be ironed out by January next year.

    Its director-general Sakib Kusmi said the department was introducing new passports which would include more security features. However, the passports required extensive testing to ensure they meet international safety standards and are not damaged easily when used.

    “The transition to this new version (of passports) cannot be done overnight. We need to ensure the new passports are near-perfect.

    “The reasonable time for the transition is six months. The department and the vendor will ensure there is enough supply of passports.”

    Mr Sakib said there would be disruptions to Immigration services during this period that would “slow down the application process and production of passports”.

    “We hope the public will understand and continue to support the efforts of the government to give the best services and providing world-class full-proof passports,’’ he said.

    Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he had instructed the Immigration Department to increase the number of passports to 20,000 daily and for them to be delivered to its offices nationwide following the passport shortage.

    Mr Zahid’s comments came following a series of reports on the passport shortage by Malay Mail since June 16.

    Mr Sakib said 20,000 passports were being supplied daily since Mr Zahid made the announcement.

    He added the National Printing Department (NPD) had increase its daily printing quota as ordered by the Home Ministry following an increase in the number of applications.

    “Previously, the vendor could only provide between 5,000 and 10,000 passports per day but the printing has increased to 20,000 daily since Wednesday (July 27),” he added.

    Sources had previously revealed the department struggled to cope with demand as they had insufficient stock of passports as a large number of the microchips embedded in the data page had defects.

    Mr Zahid, who is also home minister, said Datasonic Group Berhad — appointed to supply the biodata polycarbonate data page — would work closely with NPD to resolve the problem.

    In a statement to the media on June 14, Mr Sakib said the closing of immigration offices was not due to the shortage of passports and that the department has issued 206,716 passports since May.

    The statement added Malaysian passports met requirements of the International Civil of Aviation Organisation.

    Pending assemblyman Violet Yong said the Immigration branch at the Urban Transformation Centre in Kuching was supplied with passports on Wednesday but were all issued in a day.

    However, she said she was unsure how many passports had been issued.

    “I’ve been told the centre is out of stock again,” she said on Thursday.

    Ms Yong added the Immigration office continued to process applications despite running out of passports, assuring applicants they would obtain their travel booklets within five days.

     

    Source: TODAY Online

  • Penyeludupan Manusia: Isteri Kedua Adi Putra Antara Yang Ditahan

    Penyeludupan Manusia: Isteri Kedua Adi Putra Antara Yang Ditahan

    Mahligai pelakon Adi Putra yang baru dibina dengan isteri keduanya dipukul badai, selepas berita perkahwinan itu tersebar luas.

    Terbaru, isteri kedua beliau, Nor Shahida Zolkifly dipercayai adalah antara 15 kakitangan Imigresen yang ditahan pada petang Selasa (26 Jul).

    Menurut laporan Astro Gempak Nor Shahida ditahan sekitar pukul 4.30 petang di pejabatnya dalam satu operasi khas.

    Penangkapan Polis DiRaja Malaysia (PDRM) itu adalah bagi membantu siasatan berkaitan sindiket penyeludupan manusia, menurut laporan akhbar Berita Harian Malaysia.

    Menurut laporan tersebut lagi, para pegawai imigresen tersebut dipercayai membantu menguruskan dokumen bagi memudahkan kemasukan warga asing ke Malaysia.

    Malah siasatan awal mendapati, seorang suspek wanita disyaki bekerjasama menyeludup manusia ke negara itu dengan bantuan beberapa pegawai lain.

    Wanita tersebut juga dipercayai antara pegawai yang berurusan secara langsung dengan ejen sindiket dan memperoleh keuntungan yang besar menerusi kegiatan haram itu, lapor Berita Harian Malaysia.

    Source: Berita MediaCorp

  • Malaysia’s Najib Gets New Powers Amid Planned Protests Over Fund Scandal

    Malaysia’s Najib Gets New Powers Amid Planned Protests Over Fund Scandal

    Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak will get sweeping security powers on Monday amid planned protests calling for his resignation over U.S. allegations that millions of dollars from a state fund wound up in his personal bank account.

    The new National Security Council (NSC) Act, which comes into force on Aug. 1, allows Najib to designate any area as a “security area”, where he can deploy forces to search any individual, vehicle or premise without a warrant. It also allows investigators to dispense with formal inquests into killings by the police or armed forces in those areas.

    Najib’s ruling coalition promoted the law as a means to counter threats to security in predominantly Muslim Malaysia, which has long dealt with a fringe element of radical Islamists.

    But critics say the law’s expansive powers threaten human rights and democracy in the middle-income emerging nation, and could now be used to silence critics of the One Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund scandal.

    “The concern among the civil society and others is because the NSC can be used against anything that the government is unhappy with,” said Wan Saiful Wan Jan, chief executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, adding that it could extend to public rallies.

    “It does give the PM a huge amount of power to declare emergency zones…,” he said.

    NO ROYAL ASSENT

    The law was passed on the last day of the legislation session in December, surprising the opposition, as Najib came under mounting criticism over the multi-billion dollar scandal surrounding the 1MDB fund, which he founded and whose advisory council he chaired until recently.

    The law was enacted without the customary royal assent from Malaysia’s king, who had asked for some changes.

    Pressure on Najib to step down mounted last week after the U.S. Justice Department filed civil lawsuits alleging that over $3.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB. The lawsuits seek to seize more than $1 billion of assets allegedly siphoned from the fund, saying they were part of “an international conspiracy to launder money”.

    The civil lawsuits do not name Najib, but refer to a high-ranking government official who received over $700 million of the misappropriated funds. A source familiar with the investigations told Reuters the official, named as Malaysian Official 1 in the lawsuits, was Najib.

    Najib, who has denied any wrongdoing, has said Malaysia will cooperate in international investigations of the 1MDB case.

    The ruling party suffered unprecedented losses in the 2008 general elections and then lost the popular vote in 2013 under Najib’s leadership. The next general election must be called by 2018.

    ANTI-NAJIB RALLIES

    The NSC is coming into force amid growing complaints about assaults on civil liberties in Malaysia.

    Najib has in recent months used the colonial era Sedition Act and other draconian laws to arrest government critics, jail opposition leaders and stifle free speech by suspending media groups and blogs.

    “The likelihood of the NSC being utilized in order to crack down against any act of civil movement is likely to steadily increase as maneuvering space for the PM decreases,” said Sevan Doraisamy, executive director at Suaram, a human rights NGO.

    Malaysia’s opposition coalition is planning an anti-Najib rally on July 30. Pro-democracy group Bersih, whose street protests last year drew a 200,000-strong crowd, is also planning a separate rally, but has not set a date.

    While rallies can still be organized under the Peaceful Assembly Act, the NSC can declare any area — a building, a street or a city — a “security area”, where protests would be disallowed.

    Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said on Monday he will not allow rallies that demand Najib step down from power.

    “Red Shirt” supporters from Najib’s ruling United Malays National Organisation have vowed to hold a counter-rally. They did so last September and it turned rowdy when participants breached security barricades and clashed with riot police.

    “I think they (the government) are getting nervous about 1MDB and the reaction of the people,” said civil rights activist and lawyer Ambiga Sreenevasan, adding that the public was also “very nervous” about the new security law.

     

    Source: TODAY Online

  • Audited Financial Statements For 2013 And 2014 Should Be Disregarded: 1MDB

    Audited Financial Statements For 2013 And 2014 Should Be Disregarded: 1MDB

    Embattled 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) has decided that its 2013 and 2014 audited financial statements should be disregarded, pending a court decision on the civil lawsuit filed by the United States last week to recover more than US$1 billion (S$1.36 billion) in American assets bought with money allegedly misappropriated from the state investment firm.

    “Whilst the Board remains confident that no wrongdoing has been committed by 1MDB and that the past audited financial statements continue to show a true and fair view of the company’s affairs at the relevant points in time, the Board has decided that, as a precautionary measure, the 2013 and 2014 audited financial statements of 1MDB should no longer be relied on by any party,” 1MDB said in a statement on Tuesday (July 26).

    1MDB’s 2013 and 2014 financial statements were signed off by its auditor, international audit firm Deloitte.

    Last Wednesday, the US Justice Department (DOJ) filed a civil lawsuit to seize the assets it said were tied to money stolen from 1MDB, overseen by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

    Hidden in the US in real estate, art and other luxury goods, the DOJ said the money was embezzled from the fund and moved around the world using secretive shell companies that masked its trail.

    The Singapore authorities have also said they seized bank accounts and properties worth S$240 million in a probe on possible money laundering linked to the state investment fund.

    Mr Najib had said Malaysia takes good governance seriously and will fully cooperate with investigators. He had also maintained that it would be unfair to pass judgment on the individuals identified in the lawsuit — including his stepson Riza Aziz, a Hollywood producer of films, including The Wolf Of Wall Street as well as financier Mr Jho Low, who is a longtime friend of Mr Aziz and his family— simply for being named in the filing.

    1MDB, which was founded by Mr Najib in 2009 shortly after he came to office, has accumulated debts of RM50 billion (S$16.7 billion) as of January this year, as opposed to its assets of RM53 billion. It is being investigated in at least six countries, including Switzerland and Singapore, over allegations it was used to funnel money to politically connected individuals. Both Mr Najib and 1MDB have denied any wrongdoing.

    Mr Najib has been under intense political pressure over RM2.6 billion deposited into his private accounts, as well as irregularities in 1MDB.

    Malaysia’s attorney-general has cleared Mr Najib of wrongdoing, saying that the money in his bank accounts was a political donation from the Saudi royal family. Despite the controversy, Mr Najib has consolidated his political power, removing officials from the governing party who have criticised him.

    Some outspoken activists who used social media to question his conduct also face criminal charges.

    1MDB also said on Tuesday that it is committed to finding a new auditor to replace Deloitte, after the latter had notified the firm of its intention to resign on Feb 26 this year.

    “Until a new auditor is appointed, Deloitte will remain as auditor on record,” it said.

    Expressing its appreciation of the professionalism displayed by Deloitte to date, 1MDB said the auditor will continue to audit the company’s key subsidiaries, including its real estate and energy arms such as TRX City, Bandar Malaysia and Edra.

     

    Source: TODAY Online