Shahbudin: Conspiracy theory focus of serious probe

The Special Task Force investigating the WSJ allegation and the 1MDB scandal may itself be the subject of a new probe.

KUALA LUMPUR: A political analyst began his latest blog posting on Saturday with a cartoon from Zunar. In the first row, a victim of theft lodges a report with the police who subsequently chase after the thief. In the second row below, the thief can be seen complaining to the police about his victim. The police then chase after the victim.

The cartoon sums up, implies the analyst, what’s happening at the moment with the Special Task Force investigating, among others, an allegation in the Wall Street Journal on Friday 3 July that nearly USD700 million entered Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s personal banking accounts with the AmBank Islamic private banking services.

“The Special Task Force, comprising the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC), Bank Negara and the police, are supposed to be investigating Najib and 1MDB,” pointed out Shahbudin Husin. “However, there are those related to the Special Task Force itself who are being investigated by police.”

“All would be assisting with the investigations into the international conspiracy to subvert parliamentary democracy and overthrow a democratically-elected Prime Minister.”

Already nabbed, he noted, are a former Advisor to MACC Rashpal Singh; Jessica Sidhu, an officer from the AG’s Chambers; and Ahmad Sazilee, an officer at the MACC on secondment from the AG’s Chambers as a deputy prosecutor.

Shahbudin reminded that these three detentions came in the wake of the sacking of Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin on Tuesday and the removal of Abdul Gani Patail as Attorney- General a day earlier on Monday. “This is enough to give the people a splitting headache and it won’t be surprising if stocks of Panadol run out in the country.”

Earlier, he said, the people suffered splitting headaches too and had to resort to Panadol when a despatch boy was picked up to assist with matters reportedly related to the scandal-ridden 1MDB which has chalked up RM42 billion in debts within five years. “The people couldn’t figure out any logic in picking up a despatch up when they were expecting the big fish, or the sharks, to be the target of the investigations.”

The despatch boy was among a group of five suspects who was picked up. The others include the sole proprietor of a trading company who reportedly had links with the despatch boy, two company directors and another individual.