Malaysians seek plaintiff status in 'Musa Aman case'

A group of 255 Malaysians has teamed up with Swiss NGO Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), seeking to be admitted as plaintiffs in an ongoing criminal case linked to Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman.

According to BMF, the case involves accusations of money laundering by Swiss bank UBS of over US$90 million (about RM275 million) on behalf of Musa and his alleged nominee Michael Chia. 

“The case was opened by the Swiss attorney-general (AG) on Aug 29, following a criminal complaint by the BMF,” it said in a statement. 

The Malaysians applied to the Swiss Federal Criminal Court after the Swiss AG announced on Oct 26 that BMF should be excluded from the case as it is not directly affected by the alleged laundering. 

The court is expected to decide on the matter within the next three months, BMF said. 

In its complaint against the AG's decision last week, BMF had argued that it should be admitted as a plaintiff as it is representing Malaysian citizens whose local authorities are “incapable of action”. 

It further argued that local authorities are hampered from acting due to Musa's political standing and influence. 

The NGO, in its submission to the Swiss court, outlined that de facto law minister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz (right)had told Parliamentthat Chia was carrying Singapore $13 million (RM40 million) for Sabah Umno. 

It submitted that Mohd Nazri's son has been accused of driving a luxury vehiclebelonging to Chia. 

Swiss companies are forbidden by law to be involved in corruption and money-laundering anywhere in the world, although it is rare for a company to be convicted of this.