MACC’s review call on Musa Aman’s RM40m proves graft claims with basis: Rafizi

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 9 — PKR’s graft allegations against Datuk Seri Musa Aman has been justified by the recent recommendation from national graftbusters urging the Attorney-General (A-G) to review his decision to close the RM40 million donation case on the Sabah chief minister, Rafizi Ramli has said. 

The opposition politician who is carving a name in laying open government scandals called out Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and A-G Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail to prove their commitment to fighting corruption by reopening the file and pressing charges against Musa(picture) and his alleged money man, Sabah timber trader Michael Chia. 

“It is a signal to Najib and Gani to not delay this case,” the PKR strategy director said in response to news reports the the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) Operations Review Panel had advised the public prosecutor to review his previous decision to close the file on Musa and Chia over a dubious RM40 million donation to Sabah Umno. 

The RM40 million donation — which several Umno delegates had recently described as a pittance compared to the millions the party dishes out during elections — is a case that is shining the spotlight on the purported money politics that has been used to keep the Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition in power for the last half a century. 

“The Operations Review Panel of the MACC had written to the attorney-general to review his decision,” senior deputy director of the investigation division Han Chee Rull said was reported by news portal Malaysiakini to have told a public forum at the Malaysian Bar headquarters here yesterday. 

The panel is one of five set up to oversee the anti-graft body’s investigations and prosecution cases. 

The MACC’s statement proved they have sufficient evidence to prosecute Chia and Musa, Rafizi told The Malaysian Insider when contacted yesterday. 

“This proves they already have the evidence, only now the obstacle is the A-G himself who refuses to present charges against the two individuals,” he said. 

“In fact, I also got to know there are internal sources who say there is interference from the top,” he added. 

Rafizi, who has mounted a campaign against Musa ahead of general elections due soon, warned Najib to be transparent in this issue, saying that it would give a negative impact to the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) and its main party, Umno, at the polls. 

“It will give a bad implication to the government’s image especially Umno. 

“Furthermore, if this case is reopened in Hong Kong, it will worsen his administration’s image,” said Rafizi who is scheduled to fly back there this week to meet with the to island nation’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) that had initiated a probe on Musa and Chia over money laundering links. 

Rafizi has been lobbying the ICAC to re-open its probe on RM40 million linked to Musa, alleging a possible conspiracy by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Barisan Nasional federal government here to shelve the matter for fear of an electoral backlash. 

Rafizi and three other PKR lawmakers lodged a report with the ICAC last month listing three reasons to encourage the agency to reopen the probe against Musa and Chia — separate claims from two Sabah MPs that the RM40 million from Chia was an inducement for corrupt gains and not a political donation to Umno as previously claimed, and the receipt of a luxury vehicle from Chia by Umno minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz, possibly for corrupt reasons. 

Musa’s alleged link with Chia first exploded in the media following an April article by whistleblower site Sarawak Report, which had claimed that latter was caught trying to leave the Hong Kong International Airport with the RM40 million in Singapore currency. 

At the time, Chia had allegedly told the authorities that the money was meant for Musa, kicking off a probe on the series of fund transfers from Malaysia to Hong Kong that was then believed to be the possible laundering of monies generated from illegal logging activities in Sabah. 

The issue hit the headlines again last month when Nazri told Parliament that Musa had been cleared of corruption in the matter after Malaysian and Hong Kong anti-graft authorities found that the money was a “political donation” to Sabah Umno and was not meant for Musa’s personal use. 

But in the ensuing debates on the issue, Pakatan Rakyat (PR) lawmakers chided Nazri for declaring Musa innocent without providing proof that the ICAC had cleared the chief minister of its own accord. 

According to Nazri, the ICAC had closed the case after the MACC discovered in its probe that the money in Chia’s possession was meant for Sabah Umno and not Musa. 

After Nazri’s denial, Rafizi held a press conference in Parliament revealing what he said was photographic proof that Nazri had allegedly received kickbacks from Chia to clear his name, in the form of a RM459,000 Hummer given to his son.