Why I wish 1MDB was FIFA – OMG!

There was a banner headline today on CNN.

“U.S. to charge FIFA senior officials for corruption”

This was followed by: “In an overnight raid on a Zurich hotel, Swiss police arrested six top officials in soccer's governing body, FIFA, on charges of corruption. Vice-president Jeffrey Webb among those arrested, source tells CNN.”

It seems that, acting on an indictment by the US Justice Department, Swiss police arrested several top FIFA officials, including two vice-presidents, during an overnight raid yesterday on charges of corruption.

FIFA is the International Federation of Football Associations. Football is arguably the most popular spectator sport on earth and is a multi-billion dollar business.

In all, US prosecutors issued arrest warrants for 14 people, on charges ranging from money laundering to fraud and racketeering – for alleged offences that spanned 24 years.

“The indictment alleges corruption that is rampant, systemic, and deep-rooted both abroad and here in the United States," said Attorney General Loretta Lynch who was appointed not long ago and whose appointment broke two glass ceilings, the first person of colour and the first woman in that important position, the highest-ranking prosecutor in the United States government.

Back home, our Attorney-General holds a similar position.

In a wild moment of fantasy, I wondered idly whether something like that could ever happen in Malaysia.

Could it happen that we wake up one fine day soon to find out that crack teams of investigators from Bank Negara Malaysia, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the Commercial Crime Division of PDRM had raided the offices of 1MDB  in Malaysia, while the police in other jurisdictions, such as Hong Kong, Middle East, Zurich, Singapore and the Cayman Islands had also conducted coordinated raids on 1MDB’s partners and related parties such as PetroSaudi and Good Star Ltd and on their bankers in Zurich and Singapore?

The revelations have been going on for seven months, long enough.

All they need do is to pin down charges rather like what Lynch mentioned – financial malfeasance and/or corruption “that is rampant, systemic and deep-rooted, both abroad and here in Malaysia.”

Is it doable? Can BNM, MACCC and police work together to come up with charges that will stick? That will lead to prosecutions that are winnable in court?

Lynch has shown the way.

Like Jho Low might say: “Guys, what’s holding you all back?”

Except, he wouldn’t, in this case.

* OMG! reads The Malaysian Insider.