Tun Datu Haji Mustapha bin Datu Harun was the President of USNO and the third Chief Minister of Sabah. Tan Sri Syed Kechik Syed Mohamed was the Legal Adviser to Tun Datu Mustapha and the Director of Yayasan Sabah, the foundation that was set up as the trustee of the state’s timber wealth. Syed Kechik’s famous (or infamous) nephew cum son-in-law is Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, another man of great controversy -- just like his father-in-law, Syed Kechik, and Syed Kechik’s ‘mentor’, Tun Datu Mustapha.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
An embarrassment of business opportunities, political patronage and debts. The Syed Mokhtar al Bukhary story.
CT Ali, Free Malaysia Today
Syed Mokhtar al Bukhary is like a king? First it was FLOM and now it is SMIK? (Syed Mokhtar is King). What will our king have to say about this pretender to his throne who also happens to be a tycoon – something which our king is not.
All this came from that MP from Kinabatangan, Bung Mokhtar Radin.
The first question I want to ask of this Sabah Umno leader is why has he got his beady eyes trained on this Syed Mokhtar guy?
I am no fan of Syed Mokhtar but why is Bung Mokhtar breaking ranks with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in the same way he did with Shahrizat Abdul Jalil – and you know what happened to Shahrizat after that.
Or is Bung Mokhtar taking a position to the rear of Najib’s unprotected left flank ready to do battle against Najib?
Or has Syed Mokhtar done an Abdul Razak Baginda on Bung Mokhtar?
Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary and Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
Remember what Razak Baginda did to Altantuya Shaariibuu? He did a runner on her once he was in the money! Did Syed Mokhtar not deliver on what he promised Bung Mokhtar?
There may be loyalty amongst thieves but amongst politicians it is a scarce commodity. Today Najib, tomorrow Muhyiddin Yassin. Today one wife tomorrow two. This is the stuff Barisan Nasional MPs are made of… deceit, duplicity, greed, arrogance, large doses of libido and a misplaced self worth.
But Bung Mokhtar’s life is just a little sandiwara as opposed to the operatic saga that is Syed Mokhtar’s. Is Syed Mokhtar too big to fail? I think the adage that when you owe the banks billions, your continued success in business is as much the banks’ interest as it is yours rings true with Syed Mokhtar.
(READ Umno’s chief crony HERE)
(READ The timber mafia is larger than you suspect HERE)
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Tun Datu Haji Mustapha bin Datu Harun
Tun Datu Haji Mustapha bin Datu Harun was the President of the United Sabah National Organisation (USNO) and the third Chief Minister of Sabah from 12th May 1967 to 1st November 1975. He is considered by some as one of the founding leaders of Sabah and was an important party in the negotiations leading to the formation of Malaysia on 16th September 1963.
In the first state election of 1967, USNO won 14 seats against UPKO’s 12 and SCA’s four. USNO then set up a state coalition government with SCA where combined they controlled 18 of the 30 seats.
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Tan Sri Syed Kechik Syed Mohamed
Tan Sri Syed Kechik Syed Mohamed was the Legal Adviser to Sabah Chief Minister Tun Datu Haji Mustapha bin Datu Harun. On 15th June 1967, Syed Kechik was appointed the Director of Yayasan Sabah, the foundation that was set up as the trustee of the state’s timber wealth.
That was more or less the beginning of Sabah’s ‘timber politics’ that prevails until today. Syed Kechik’s famous (or infamous) nephew cum son-in-law is Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary, another man of great controversy -- just like his father-in-law, Syed Kechik, and Syed Kechik’s ‘mentor’, Tun Datu Haji Mustapha.
The rest of the story is self-explanatory.
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Muhyiddin Visits Tan Sri Syed Kechik’s Grave
(Bernama) — Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyidin Yassin on Saturday visited the grave of Syed Kechik Foundation chairman, Tan Sri Syed Kechik Syed Mohamed, who died of old age and was buried at the Al-Bukhary Mosque graveyard yesterday.
Muhyiddin was accompanied by wife, Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman Seri, and Al-Bukhary Foundation executive chairman Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary and his wife, Puan Sri Sharifah Zarah Al-Bukhary.
Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary
Syed Mokhtar, who is the late Syed Kechik’s son-in-law, said his father-in-law, who was also his uncle, died at the age of 81 at 3.41pm in his house at Jalan Sultanah here yesterday.
He said Syed Kechik served as legal adviser to then Sabah Chief Minister from 1968 until 1975 and was political secretary to then Information and Broadcasting Minister Datuk Senu Abdul Rahman from 1964 to 1965.
Syed Kechik left behind a wife, Puan Sri Sofiah Abdullah, three children and 12 grand-children.
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Feud over Syed Kechik’s millions goes to High Court
(The Star) - The children of the late Tan Sri Syed Kechik Syed Mohamed Al-Bukhary have gone to court to fight over the RM400mil estate he left behind.
The High Court granted an injunction applied by his two daughters – Sharifah Zarah and Sharifah Munira – to prevent their half-brother Syed Gamal from interfering in Syed Kechik Holdings Sdn Bhd’s affairs yesterday.
Syed Gamal, 45, who is Syed Kechik’s only son from his first marriage, is not allowed to intervene in the administration, enter the premises and access the records and accounts of the company.
Syed Gamal, the only male heir to the late Syed Kechik
He is also barred from interfering in the duties of the company directors.
The sisters, who are directors of the company, were not present but were represented by laywer Datuk Vijay Kumar.
This is the second injunction granted by a court in the family saga that started after Syed Kechik’s death last year.
Syed Gamal had obtained an ex-parte injunction at the Syariah Court on Sept 14 to stop his 44% stake in the company from being sold or liquidated.
Justice K. Anantham, who presided over the High Court case in his chambers at the Jalan Duta court complex here, ruled that the Syariah Court had no jurisdiction over the company because it is a corporate entity.
Syed Gamal, who was with his cousin Syed Azman Syed Mansor Al-Bukhary, said his lawyers would appeal against the decision.
“I will continue with my struggle to pursue my rights according to Faraid law. My rights have been denied almost all my life. This is not a struggle for myself but also for my family,” he said when met outside the courtroom.
Syed Gamal was represented by his three lawyers – Atan Mustaffa Yussof Ahmad, Az-mi Tan Sri Dr Mohd Rais and Zulkifli B.C. Yong. Syed Kechik died at the age of 81 on April 10 last year.
His son-in-law is Al-Bukhary Foundation chairman Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary.
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Syed Kechik’s second wife, daughters lose appeal
(Bernama) - The wife and two daughters of the late Tan Sri Syed Kechik Syed Mohamed Al-Bukhary failed in their appeal today to stop his (Syed Kechik’s) son from his first marriage to be joint administrator of his RM400 million estate.
Justice Datuk Wira Low Hop Bing, leading a three-man Court of Appeal panel, ruled that the High Court had correctly given due regard to Syed Gamal’s right to be co-administrator of his father’s estate.
He said it was the court’s view that the acrimony between Syed Gamal and his stepmother Puan Sri Sofiah Moo Abdullah, 67, and his half-sisters Puan Sri Sharifah Zarah, 42, and Sharifah Munira, 44, was not a good ground to exclude Syed Gamal from being co-administrator of his father’s estate.
Low said allegations made by Sofiah and her daughters that Syed Gamal lacked knowledge of the father’s business, that he (Syed Gamal) was a failed businessman in a T-shirt business and the subsequent sale of a Mercedes car by Syed Gamal were not valid grounds to remove his (Syed Gamal’s) right to be considered for appointment as co-administrator.
“Success and failure in life, business or any other activity is purely a matter of subjective judgment. Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts,” he said.
The panel, which also comprised Court of Appeal judge Datuk Wira Abu Samah Nordin and High Court judge Datuk Azahar Mohamed, unanimously dismissed the appeal brought by Sofiah and her two daughters and upheld Judicial Commissioner Lee Swee Seng’s decision given on July 30 last year that the late Syed Kechik’s estate be jointly administered by his wife and three children.
“In our view, section 30 of the Probate and Administration Act 1959 provides for the entitlement of all persons who are interested in the estate to be appointed administrators of deceased’s estate.
“We are unable to identify any error on the part of the Judicial Commissioner in appointing all appellants (Sofiah, Sharifah Zarah and Sharifah Munira) and respondent (Syed Gamal) as co-administrators of the deceased’s estate,” Low said.
The panel ordered Sofiah and her daughters to pay legal costs of RM40,000 to Syed Gamal.
Syed Gamal, 46, a cyber-cafe owner, is Syed Kechik’s only son from his first marriage to Zainab alias Eshah Abdullah.
The feud over the estate began after Syed Kechik died of heart disease on April 10, 2009 at the age of 80 without leaving a will.
Syed Kechik was the father-in-law of Al-Bukhary Foundation chairman Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary, a billionaire listed as one of the richest people in the country.
On September 15, 2009, Sofiah and her daughters petitioned the court for a letter of administration to the estate. On April 14 last year, Syed Gamal filed a caveat to stop his stepmother and half-sisters from being appointed sole administrators of his late father’s estate.
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Kumpulan Syed Kechik Sendirian Berhad
Kumpulan Syed Kechik Sendirian Berhad is the flagship corporation of the Kumpulan Syed Kechik Group of Companies with diverse interests in multifarious industries incubated and nurtured by Tan Sri Syed Kechik Bin Syed Mohamed Rahmat Al-Bukhary over the past three decades and more.
1. Nira Sendirian Berhad owns and manages its signature corporate address, the Syed Kechik Foundation Building (picture above).
2. Budiman Sendirian Berhad owns and manages Wisma Budiman.
3. Pasar Borong Development Sendirian Berhad holds vast prime lands situated along busy Jalan Ipoh. It also owns and manages a complete block of dual frontage four storey shop offices comprising thirteen (13) units at Block 28, Jalan 6/3A, Bandar Utara.
4. Castlefield Development Sendirian Berhad owns a choice plot of over two acres of commercial land in Puchong, Selangor.
5. Tenaga Minyak Corporation Sendirian Berhad owns and manages five adjoining premium dual frontage four-storey shop offices at Block 7, Jalan 2/3A, Bandar Utara.
6. Taman Melanti Sendirian Berhad owns fully refurbished units of Double Storey Shop Houses, Double Storey Terrace Houses and Single Storey Terrace Houses in the developed, mature and vibrant neighbourhood of Taman Seri Kluang.
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