PKR to lodge MACC report against Nazri

MACC will be asked to probe on the use of the Hummer SUV belonging to timber tycoon Michael Chia by Nazri Aziz's son. PKR claims it amounted to conflict of interest

PETALING JAYA: A report will be lodged with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) later this afternoon against Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz on the ongoing controversy surrounding the RM40 million “donation” to Sabah Umno.

The report, which will be filed by PKR ‘s strategy director Rafizi Ramli, would touch on the Hummer SUV which Nazri’s son, Nedim, has been allegedly using.

Last week, Rafizi came up with evidence supposedly showing that the black Hummer, worth more than RM459,000, was being used by Nedim, and that it belonged to timber tycoon Michael
Chia.

Rafizi claimed that the links between Chia and Nazri amounted to conflict of interest, given that the minister had recently made statements in regard to a probe involving the businessman.

“If this is not bribery, I don’t know what it is. At the very least, ethically there is a question of conflict of interest where he [Nazri] should take moral and political responsibility for it,” Rafizi said last week.

Nazri had admitted to having links with Chia; however, he has repeatedly denied that his friendship with the latter had in any way influenced his job as a minister.

Nazri had also denied receiving money from Chia after Raja Petra Kamarudin alleged in his blog Malaysia Today that Nazri and his son received RM3 million and a sports car respectively from Chia.

The interest in the scandal largely revolves around Chia, who was reportedly detained at an airport in Hong Kong in 2008 with RM40 million worth of cash on him.

Chia is linked to Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman, and he had reportedly told Hong Kong’s
Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) when he was arrested that the money was for Musa.

Interest in the issue was rekindled recently when Nazri told Parliament that the money was a political fund meant for Sabah Umno and that the ICAC had cleared Musa of any wrongdoing.

Later, Nazri stated that contrary to previous reports, Chia was never arrested by the ICAC.

He also said the RM40 million seized from Chia and frozen was wired into an account and was not in the businessman’s possession as claimed by the opposition and reported in the media.

Oct 25, Rafizi had also lodged a report with Bank Negara Malaysia, asking the central bank to probe the RM40 million donation under the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2011.

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