As Tajudin Ramli’s multi-million debt case looms in February, it is learnt a federal minister has been starting to take the initiative to meet senior executives of government-linked corporations (GLCs) to possibly settle the matter.
This behind-the-scenes move is believed to be a follow-up to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz’s (right)controversial letterlast Aug 8, asking the GLCs to resolve the matter and withdraw their suits as a prelude to inducing Tajudin to withdraw his counter-claim and appeal.
Sources indicate the meetings should have started this week, with the possibility of future meetings with other GLCs having court battles with Tajudin in the pipeline at an undetermined date.
However, it is not known whether such meetings have been brought to the knowledge of the GLCs’ boards of directors as no announcement has been made to Bursa Malaysia of this latest attempt to settle the dispute.
It is learnt there is a possibility of such meetings happening, possibly starting between Nazri and Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) chief executive officer Zamzamraini Mohd Isa on Tuesday (Nov 15).
Sources indicated that Nazri sought the meeting with Zamzaraini, who is also TM’s managing director, to take place on Nov 15, with discussions centring on a settlement on the dispute with Tajudin.
“It is highly unusual for a government minister to seek a meeting with the private sector or a GLC to settle a dispute involving a third party as Tajudin is not a civil servant for the government to intervene on his behalf,” said a source familiar with the inside dealings.
“What is in it for Nazri to resolve the matter?”
When Malaysiakini contacted a high-ranking TM official yesterday over the possibility of the meeting, the person said “it is high-level” and the question cannot be answered.
Zamzamraini’s personal assistant Siti Rozita Mohd Haniffah, in an email repy to Malaysiakini, denied that Zamzaraini had met Nazri at the Prime Minister’s Department on Tuesday.
However, when asked whether Nazri did indeed summon Zamzamraini, there was no reply.
Nazri denies meeting
Malaysiakini texted Nazri yesterday on speculations over the meeting, but there was no reply.
Asked by Malaysiakini reporter S Pathmawathy in parliament yesterday about the meeting with the Telekom CEO on Tuesday, Nazri said, “I dont know”.
“I don't know... no I did not meet anyone,” Nazri said.
It is now learnt Nazri had called off the meeting at the eleventh hour.
Despite Nazri’s and TM officials’ denial of the arranged meeting, Malaysiakini learnt that Telekom had informed Celcom and other GLCs affected in the Tajudin saga earlier over its CEO being summoned to meet Nazri.
It is however unclear whether the cabinet sanctioned the minister’s summoning the TM CEO in what is possibly a more subtle way of having the GLCs reach a settlement with Tajudin.
Neither the cabinet nor the Finance Minister has issued any clear-cut statement whether they sanctioned this behind-the-scenes effort or whether the minister is doing this unilaterally.
Nazri however, when asked by Malaysiakini over the Aug 8 letter on the purported directive to the GLCs, had said it was merely an advice and that he had got the clearance from Second Finance Minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah to start the initiative.
Not only that, Nazri had in the letter asked companies involved in the dispute to appoint Umno-linked firm Hafarizam Wan & Aishah Mubarak to be appointed to replace the GLC’s existing lawyers.
Possible last-ditch effort
But should such meetings take place in the near future it is seen as a last-ditch effort to possibly settle the matter before the scheduled appellate court hearing for three days beginning Feb 13.
Following Nazri’s Aug 8 letter, several GLCs including TM, Malaysia Airlines and Axiata Group Bhd, which manages Celcom, declared to Bursa Malaysia on Aug 16 that they had yet to receive any proposal regarding a global settlement with Tajudin.
Tajudin has been dangling the idea of a global settlement to resolve the long-standing dispute since October last year, when his lawyers put forward the idea. Some see this as a delaying tactic in avoiding paying the debt.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court had in 2009ordered Tajudin to pay RM589 million of his debts to Pengurusan Danaharta Bhd after Justice Anantham Kasinater had also struck out the former Malaysia Airlines chairperson’s RM13 billion counter-claim.
Tajudin had defaulted on a loan of RM1.79 billion which he took from several banks to gain control of a less than 30 percent stake in MAS.
His loan became non-performing between 1994 and 1998, resulting in the legal action where he was ordered to pay.
Umno lawyer will keep all informed
Another source had in August confirmed that there was time for Tajudin to actually negotiate a settlement when the issue of Nazri’s letter first came-up. The source also said since the action was initiated six years ago, Tajudin had not even paid 10 sen.
On Aug 24, several GLC boards of directors had announced to Bursa Malaysia that there was nothing before them to consider in order to reach a settlement.
The terms of the global settlement remains a mystery to most of these GLCs. What is more astonishing is that it was indicated to these GLCs that they would only be informed of the terms of settlement after they have appointed Hafarizam Wan & Aishah Mubarak to represent them.
Lawyer Mohd Hafarizam Harun (left), when met by Malaysiakini on Monday, said he will keep all parties informed if he is appointed as the GLCs’ lawyers against Tajudin.
In early 2000, MAS had lodged police reports against Tajudin but no action had been taken despite former Commercial Crime Investigation director Ramli Yusuff having recommended to former PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2006 that Tajudin should be prosecuted.
There have also been no further developments regarding MAS’s reports to the MACC.
This behind-the-scenes move is believed to be a follow-up to Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Abdul Aziz’s (right)controversial letterlast Aug 8, asking the GLCs to resolve the matter and withdraw their suits as a prelude to inducing Tajudin to withdraw his counter-claim and appeal.Sources indicate the meetings should have started this week, with the possibility of future meetings with other GLCs having court battles with Tajudin in the pipeline at an undetermined date.
However, it is not known whether such meetings have been brought to the knowledge of the GLCs’ boards of directors as no announcement has been made to Bursa Malaysia of this latest attempt to settle the dispute.
It is learnt there is a possibility of such meetings happening, possibly starting between Nazri and Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) chief executive officer Zamzamraini Mohd Isa on Tuesday (Nov 15).
Sources indicated that Nazri sought the meeting with Zamzaraini, who is also TM’s managing director, to take place on Nov 15, with discussions centring on a settlement on the dispute with Tajudin.
“It is highly unusual for a government minister to seek a meeting with the private sector or a GLC to settle a dispute involving a third party as Tajudin is not a civil servant for the government to intervene on his behalf,” said a source familiar with the inside dealings.
“What is in it for Nazri to resolve the matter?”
When Malaysiakini contacted a high-ranking TM official yesterday over the possibility of the meeting, the person said “it is high-level” and the question cannot be answered.
Zamzamraini’s personal assistant Siti Rozita Mohd Haniffah, in an email repy to Malaysiakini, denied that Zamzaraini had met Nazri at the Prime Minister’s Department on Tuesday.
However, when asked whether Nazri did indeed summon Zamzamraini, there was no reply.
Nazri denies meeting
Malaysiakini texted Nazri yesterday on speculations over the meeting, but there was no reply.
Asked by Malaysiakini reporter S Pathmawathy in parliament yesterday about the meeting with the Telekom CEO on Tuesday, Nazri said, “I dont know”.
“I don't know... no I did not meet anyone,” Nazri said.
It is now learnt Nazri had called off the meeting at the eleventh hour.
Despite Nazri’s and TM officials’ denial of the arranged meeting, Malaysiakini learnt that Telekom had informed Celcom and other GLCs affected in the Tajudin saga earlier over its CEO being summoned to meet Nazri.It is however unclear whether the cabinet sanctioned the minister’s summoning the TM CEO in what is possibly a more subtle way of having the GLCs reach a settlement with Tajudin.
Neither the cabinet nor the Finance Minister has issued any clear-cut statement whether they sanctioned this behind-the-scenes effort or whether the minister is doing this unilaterally.
Nazri however, when asked by Malaysiakini over the Aug 8 letter on the purported directive to the GLCs, had said it was merely an advice and that he had got the clearance from Second Finance Minister Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah to start the initiative.
Not only that, Nazri had in the letter asked companies involved in the dispute to appoint Umno-linked firm Hafarizam Wan & Aishah Mubarak to be appointed to replace the GLC’s existing lawyers.
Possible last-ditch effort
But should such meetings take place in the near future it is seen as a last-ditch effort to possibly settle the matter before the scheduled appellate court hearing for three days beginning Feb 13.
Following Nazri’s Aug 8 letter, several GLCs including TM, Malaysia Airlines and Axiata Group Bhd, which manages Celcom, declared to Bursa Malaysia on Aug 16 that they had yet to receive any proposal regarding a global settlement with Tajudin.
Tajudin has been dangling the idea of a global settlement to resolve the long-standing dispute since October last year, when his lawyers put forward the idea. Some see this as a delaying tactic in avoiding paying the debt.The Kuala Lumpur High Court had in 2009ordered Tajudin to pay RM589 million of his debts to Pengurusan Danaharta Bhd after Justice Anantham Kasinater had also struck out the former Malaysia Airlines chairperson’s RM13 billion counter-claim.
Tajudin had defaulted on a loan of RM1.79 billion which he took from several banks to gain control of a less than 30 percent stake in MAS.
His loan became non-performing between 1994 and 1998, resulting in the legal action where he was ordered to pay.
Umno lawyer will keep all informed
Another source had in August confirmed that there was time for Tajudin to actually negotiate a settlement when the issue of Nazri’s letter first came-up. The source also said since the action was initiated six years ago, Tajudin had not even paid 10 sen.
On Aug 24, several GLC boards of directors had announced to Bursa Malaysia that there was nothing before them to consider in order to reach a settlement.
The terms of the global settlement remains a mystery to most of these GLCs. What is more astonishing is that it was indicated to these GLCs that they would only be informed of the terms of settlement after they have appointed Hafarizam Wan & Aishah Mubarak to represent them.Lawyer Mohd Hafarizam Harun (left), when met by Malaysiakini on Monday, said he will keep all parties informed if he is appointed as the GLCs’ lawyers against Tajudin.
In early 2000, MAS had lodged police reports against Tajudin but no action had been taken despite former Commercial Crime Investigation director Ramli Yusuff having recommended to former PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2006 that Tajudin should be prosecuted.
There have also been no further developments regarding MAS’s reports to the MACC.
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