Kit Siang: Too late for Arul to indulge in “escapades’

1MDB Chief cannot continue to pretend ignorance and innocence over the “massive fraud” and “collaboration” on the USD3.5 billion worth of payments to the “fake” Aabar BVI.

KUALA LUMPUR: The only way for 1MDB Chief Arul Kanda Kandasamy to earn some sympathy from the people was for him to come clean on the scandals over which he presides, said DAP Parliamentary Leader Lim Kit Siang in a statement.

It’s just not good enough for Arul Kanda to canvas the possibilities of “massive fraud” and “collaboration from outside” on the USD3.5 billion worth of payments made to the “fake” Aabar BVI, added Lim who has been suspended from Parliament as Gelang Patah MP.

“The international news media and whistleblower website Sarawak Report had been detailing such ‘massive fraud’ and ‘collaboration’ for the past year.”

The question that arises, continued Lim, was why Arul Kanda didn’t take the most elementary measures to check on the veracity of the very detailed reports in the international media and Sarawak Report. “Instead, he defended the ‘integrity and good governance’ practices of 1MDB in these cases of ‘massive fraud’ and ‘collaboration’.”

Already, noted the DAP veteran, there was now a growing storm over the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman Hasan Arifin’s unilateral and arbitrary deletion of a paragraph in the PAC Report on 1MDB. “It had stated that ‘Bank Negara Malaysia had been informed voluntarily by ‘the authorities’ that Good Star Limited is a company owned by an individual that has no links to PetroSaudi Group’.”

Arul Kanda should state whether he had prior knowledge of the PAC Report on the 1MDB before it was tabled in Parliament on April 7, stressed Lim, and whether he had any role in the deletion of the crucial paragraph when the Report was finally tabled in Parliament. “Arul Kanda can’t exonerate himself from being complicit in Malaysia’s mega scam by just washing his hands and quitting his 1MDB post, protesting that the issues and scandals were not his and ‘not what I signed up for’.”

Just as Arul Kanda cannot continue to pretend ignorance and innocence over the “massive fraud” and “collaboration” on the USD3.5 billion worth of payments to the “fake” Aabar BVI, said Lim, he cannot continue to pretend ignorance and innocence on the “original sin” of the 1MDB scandal i.e. the diversion of USD700 million of 1MDB funds in 2009 to Jho Low’s bogus shell company, Good Star Limited.

“The Wall Street Journal and Sarawak Report had alleged that Good Star Limited was solely owned by Jho Low and had nothing to do with PetroSaudi International, the firm that partnered 1MDB in a now defunct investment joint venture.”

True, conceded Lim, these scandals were not of his making. “They were committed before he became 1MDB President in January last year.”

“However, he made them his by defending their propriety and correctness for more than a year, including in his appearances before the PAC inquiring into 1MDB.”

In short, it’s just too little too late for Arul Kanda to indulge in “escapades”, argued Lim. “He must redeem himself for his ‘sins’ in the 1MDB scandal.”