RAFIZI STRIKES BULLSEYE: ‘RAMELI MUSA’ THE ACCOUNT-HOLDER OF RM1.4MIL BANK ISLAM CHEQUE, IS HADI’S OLD FRIEND & HEAD OF A GLC – REPORT

Rafizi Ramli decided to investigate the conflicting claims regarding PAS’ alleged RM1.4 million payment to Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown.

In a Facebook posting this afternoon, the PKR vice-president detailed how he had cracked the case.

According to him, the 10-digit Bank Islam account number stated in a confidential letter published by Rewcastle-Brown this morning was part of a 14-digit account number.

The chartered accountant turned politician said he discovered the rest of the digits by making comparisons with the account numbers on other Bank Islam cheques.

With the proper account number in hand, Rafizi claimed he successfully transferred RM10 to the account.

The PKR leader also named the account holder. Malaysiakini learned that the person heads a GLC.

Malaysiakini is attempting to contact this individual, who is described as an old-time friend of PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang.

Earlier today, Rewcastle-Brown confirmed that Hadi had paid her RM1.4 million to settle his defamation suit against her, which was filed in London.

Following this, PAS information chief Nasrudin Hasan claimed that the Bank Islam account used to purportedly transfer the RM1.4 million is fake.

“Some friends checked the account number which is being shared (on social media) by trying to transfer RM5 and RM1, and the account doesn’t exist,” he said on Facebook.

Nasrudin also urged others to attempt transferring funds to PAS’ authentic Bank Islam account.

However, Rewcastle-Brown’s lawyer Americk Sidhu told Malaysiakini that the cheque was written in front of him and that it had cleared into the Sarawak Report editor’s account.

Hadi had sued the London-based Rewcastle-Brown over an article published in Sarawak Report that PAS received RM90 million from Umno during the leadership of former premier Najib Abdul Razak in exchange for the Islamist party’s support in the last general election.

Earlier last month, Hadi and Rewcastle-Brown agreed to settle the case out of court.

Both PAS and Najib have denied the RM90 million allegation, which is now the subject of an MACC investigation. -MKINI

RM1.4 million to Sarawak Report came from real bank account, says Rafizi after PAS denial

THE money used to pay Sarawak Report for its legal fees to settle PAS president Abdul Hadi Awang’s defamation suit came from the bank account of a person named Rameli Musa, said former Pandan MP Rafizi Ramli.

Rafizi said this in response to claims by PAS that the RM1.4 million paid to Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown had come from a fake account.

The PKR politician said he analysed the numbers on cheques issued by Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd and the photo of a Bank Islam cheque used to pay RM1.4 million to the account of Rewcastle-Brown’s lawyer in trust for the British journalist.

Rafizi also said he transferred money to the account number in the photo of the cheque and in the settlement agreement with Hadi, and found it to be legitimate.

“I transferred RM10 to the (Bank Islam) account number that was stated in the Rewcastle-Brown and Hadi settlement agreement and the account exists under the name Rameli Musa.

“The transfer also went through. This proves that the account that was noted in the agreement exists, and so too the RM1.4 million,”   said Rafizi in a statement today.

The former Pandan MP was responding to PAS members who said he was spreading lies that Hadi had paid Rewcastle RM1.4 million to withdraw his defamation suit against her.

Rafizi said he had verified the account number by comparing it with three different cheques from Bank Islam.

PAS information chief Nasrudin Hassan says the account number on a cheque allegedly used to pay Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown was false. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, March 1, 2019.

Earlier today, PAS information chief Nasrudin Hassan Tantawi said the bank account number on the cheque used to pay Rewcastle was fake.

“Some people have checked the account number (in the photo) by attempting to make transfers of RM5 and RM1 to the account, but the account does not exist,” he said on Facebook.

PAS vice-president Idris Ahmad also said Sarawak Report’s confirmation of receiving the RM1.4 million was insufficient and called on Rewcastle-Brown to furnish more proof.

PAS has been adamant that neither the party nor Hadi had to pay Sarawak Report anything as part of the settlement agreement to Hadi’s defamation suit over a report the website published in 2016, alleging PAS had received RM90 million from Umno before the 14th general election.

Rewcastle-Brown’s lawyer Americk Sidhu, meanwhile, said there was no way the bank account used to transfer RM1.4 million to his client could have been fake.

Speaking to Malaysiakini, he said the cheque was genuine or the bank would not have cleared it. He also said that he personally witnessed the cheque being written but would not state who the account holder was.  THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT

MKINI / THE MALAYSIAN INSIGHT