RM40m: Nothing in ICAC letter about Musa

The only way Musa Aman can clear himself is to declare in detail information involving the RM40 million 'donation', says PKR's Rafizi Ramli.

PETALING JAYA: PKR strategy director Rafizi Ramli has dismissed a letter purportedly from Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) which had cleared Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman of graft.

Rafizi was referring to a report in The Malaysian Insider yesterday, “ICAC Letter Shows Musa Aman Cleared of Graft Last December”, in which Kota Belud MP Abdul Rahman Dahlan revealed the contents of a private letter to Musa.

The letter apparently said that Musa was no longer under probe for corruption involving the RM40 million donation to Sabah Umno.

“The letter by ICAC did not once state that Musa has been cleared from the accusations of bribery, or reflect that the ICAC was confident that he is clean from corruption as what Umno and Barisan Nasional is trying to portray,” he said in a statement today.

Rafizi argued that the letter merely stated that based on the information that ICAC obtained, the anti-graft body had decided not to resume investigations.

“If Musa does not agree with these facts, he should then reveal the full contents of the letter and not use Abdul Rahman to verbally show it to reporters.”

Rafizi repeated his belief that the reason ICAC halted investigations was due to the lack of cooperation from Malaysian authorities, as the Hong Kong authority lacked the powers to gather evidence.

“They depend solely on our Attorney-General’s Chambers and MACC for evidence.”

“The statement by Hong Kong’s chief prosecutor Kevin Zervos recently confirms that ICAC’s hands were tied from continuing the investigations,” he said.

Rafizi said that the PKR team (William Leong, Hee Loy Sian and Chang Lih Kang) is still gathering evidence, including financial statements and transactions in Hong Kong to be handed over to ICAC to facilitate a re-opening of investigations. They will return on Dec 11.

“I urge Musa not to pull Umno into his own personal problems. The best way to clear his name is to declare in detail information about the RM40 million donation he received, including:

• Who gave the contribution?

• What is the relationship between contributor/donor and Umno?

• What sort of contracts or concessions that have been given to this contributor/donor?

• Where is the fund being kept and under whose name?”

Legal threats

Rafizi said that the above information is not only being demanded by the rakyat, but also by the Umno leadership itself.

He said that when PKR was attacked on their campaign bus and private jet, the leadership had immediately revealed information in detail and the same accountability must be shown by Musa.

Rafizi added that he was not afraid of threats of a legal suit as mentioned by Abdul Rahman.

It was reported that in the letter sent to Musa, dated Dec 22, 2011, both the Operations Review Committee (ORC) and the ICAC Commissioner had agreed not to further investigative action “on the basis of the facts now known”.

The letter, which was addressed to Musa alone, bore the ICAC’s letterhead and was signed off by principal investigator Tso Wai-Yan.

The case surrounds the reported arrest of timber tycoon Michael Chia at Hong Kong International Airport on suspicion of trying to smuggle Singapore currency worth RM40 million in 2008.

Chia had then allegedly told ICAC that the money was meant for Musa.

In October this year, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Nazri Aziz told Parliament that the money was political funding for Sabah Umno. He announced that both Hong Kong and Malaysian authorities had closed the case.

Rafizi has been lobbying the ICAC to reopen the case against Musa, going all the way to Hong Kong recently to meet with ICAC officials. He plans to return again with fresh evidence.