Audit dept, PAC will not re-open 1MDB probes in light of DOJ suit

The National Audit Department and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have no plans to re-open their investigations into the 1MDB scandal.

This was disclosed by auditor-general Madinah Mohamad and PAC chairperson Hasan Arifin during a joint a press conference in Parliament today.

However, Madinah said the department would reopen the case if requested by Putrajaya.

"On 1MDB, we will wait for instructions from the government," she reportedly added.

Whereas, Hasan said the PAC had already tabled its findings to parliament.

“This (the findings) has been tabled in Parliament, so it is up to the government to take action. PAC will not open another investigation,” he said.

The pair was asked to comment on whether investigations would be re-opened following the latest 1MDB-related suit filed by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).

The PAC had completed its probe into 1MDB in April last year and, among others, it found a lack of proof that millions of ringgit in payments from 1MDB had made it to the accounts of Abu Dhabi's Aabar.

PAC deputy chairperson Tan Seng Giaw had said at the time that, based on the committee's findings, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak was not directly involved in 1MDB.

Last week, Dewan Rakyat Speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia said the PAC could reopen the investigation if it wanted to.

In March 2016, the audit report on 1MDB was completed, but the document has been classified under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).

The opposition has repeatedly urged the government to make the report public.- Mkini

Mukhriz Fan Club: Dr M's grandfather, not father, came from Kerala

As the battle for the coming general election intensifies, politicians have resorted to scaling the family trees of their rivals.

Yesterday, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi took a swipe at Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad's Indian heritage.

On social media, a Facebook page comprising supporters of Mahathir's son, Mukhriz, clarified the 92-year-old former prime minister's paternal roots.

According to the posting, it was Mahathir's grandfather, and not his father, who came from Kerala, India.

“It was not Tun M's (Mahathir's) father who came from Kerala but Tun M's 'nenda' (grandfather). His name was Iskandar,” it stated.

Furthermore, the posting claimed that those from Kerala are not native to India but of Yemeni lineage.

“Iskandar married Siti Hawa from Johor and Mohamad (Mahathir's father) was born in 1881 in Penang. Mohamad married Wan Tempawan Bt Wan Hanafi, and the couple had Tun M,” it said.

The posting said Mahathir's grandfather was brought to Malaya by the British to teach English in the palace, and that his father was the first headmaster of the Sultan Abdul Hamid College in Kedah.

Meanwhile, former Umno man Khairuddin Abu Hassan has filed a police report against Zahid and the National Registration Department (NRD) director-general.

Khairuddin accused the pair of abusing Mahathir's personal data.

Zahid had claimed that the NRD director-general sent him a copy of Mahathir's supposed identity card, which stated the former prime minister's name as "Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty".

The patronym “a/l” (short for “anak lelaki”, meaning “son of”) is commonly used by Indian Malaysians, although it is also used by some indigenous groups. “Kutty” is a common Tamil-Malayalee name. - Mkini

Johor Umno-BN in panic mode

MP SPEAKS | Since the grand reconciliation between Anwar Ibrahim and Dr Mahathir Mohamad through the formalisation of Pakatan Harapan’s leadership structure on 14th July, there has been a surge of support for Harapan.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and Umno national leadership are visibly jittery, as they keep on making one gaffe after another. The latest being Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s “great expose” of Mahathir’s Indian ancestry, a very lowbrow racist attempt to ridicule the former Umno President. Barely a fortnight ago, Najib promised to study the possibility of recognising Indian Muslims as Bumiputera.

How does this situation affect Johor?

Johor, Kedah and Sabah are three states which have the potential of each contributing 10 additional parliamentary seats to bring the federal opposition to power.

The Parliamentary seats in Johor that Barisan Nasional won marginally in the 13th General Election are (in northern Johor) Labis, Segamat, Muar, Ledang, Sekijang, (in southern Johor) Pasir Gudang, Tebrau, Pulai, and Johor Baru. Harapan should be able to win Pagoh too.

If the swing is reasonably strong, Ayer Hitam, Simpang Renggam and Tanjong Piai may fall as well.

That BN may lose in Johor, hence Putrajaya, was acknowledged by Khaled Nordin, Johor Menteri Besar during the Johor BN convention on Saturday.

Malaysiakini reported that “While Johor has traditionally been known as a BN stronghold and the birthplace of Umno, Khaled cautioned that they can no longer be swayed by the nostalgia that BN will continue to rule, just because their rivals have no experience in governing.”

Khaled was quoted as saying: “That kind of mindset must be changed. Believe me, we will be facing the ‘toughest war’. Not just a battle.”

Yet, on the same weekend, MCA Deputy President and MP for Ayer Hitam Wee Ka Siong was very confident to say that it is almost impossible for BN to fall in Johor. He even accused Johor DAP of drumming up the possibility of a change of government in Johor and Putrajaya merely to dupe voters.

Wee should check with Khaled to ensure that he gets the script right. It just shows how pathetic MCA has become, that it can’t even acknowledge the reality on the ground that a change of government is a realistic possibility.

What is unfortunate is that when he is in a panic mode, Khaled falls back to Najib’s outdated racial script. Instead of acknowledging the rise of angry Malay voters, he keeps referring to DAP as the dominant “Chinese” force in Johor in the hope to instil fear among Malay voters.

When he gets panicked, Khaled suddenly forgets about Bangsa Johor – the unifying platform of Johoreans regardless of race and religion. He prefers Najib’s racial game. What a pity.

Najib’s original three-pronged tactic was (1) jailing Anwar Ibrahim to deprive the opposition of a prominent Malay unifying leader accepted by all Malaysians, (2) luring PAS into becoming BN’s de facto partner, and (3) accusing the opposition of being DAP- and Chinese-dominated.

Unfortunately for Najib and his cohorts, the grand reconciliation of Anwar-Mahathir on 14th July ruined their plan. The script is outdated and irrelevant.

Now the simple logic is this - if Umno falls in the next election, its seats would be won by Malay leaders of Harapan.

With Johor as a national frontline state for Harapan, Malay leaders of stature such as Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia President Muhyiddin Yassin and Parti Amanah Negara Deputy President Salahuddin Ayub at the forefront campaigning for a change of government in Johor, Khaled’s racial fear tactics won’t go very far. Johoreans are already comfortable with the idea of a multiracial Bangsa Johor.

For a new government to be installed in Nusajaya, and Putrajaya as well, Harapan will be the torch-bearer for the unifying spirit of Bangsa Johor, and not a divisive racial campaign that Khaled is now attempting to frame.

---

LIEW CHIN TONG is Kluang MP and DAP national political education director.  - Mkini

MP submits emergency motion on Zahid exposing Dr M's private data

An emergency parliamentary motion has been submitted, urging Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi to explain his move to reveal Dr Mahathir Mohamad's private data. 

The motion was submitted by DAP Kulai MP Teo Nie Ching, and a response from speaker Pandikar Amin Mulia is expected within the next 24 hours. 

Teo said Zahid, who is also the home minister, had violated the Personal Data Protection Act by revealing what is alleged to be Mahathir's identity card. 

"A minister that does not respect the law is a threat to the public," she said in her notice of submission. 

She urged Zahid to apologise and to be relieved of his duties as home minister to allow a fair probe by the police. 

Zahid had in his speech at the Umno Kelana Jaya division yesterday, taken a dig at Mahathir’s alleged Indian parentage and accused the latter of politically exploiting the Malays throughout his 22-year premiership.

Holding up his phone to the audience, Zahid had said, “This was his blue IC. His name was Mahathir a/l Iskandar Kutty. His blue IC number is […]. This was sent by the director-general of the National Registration Department (NRD).”

In response, a Facebook page under the name Mukhriz Mahathir FC clarified that Iskandar who came from Kerala was actually the former premier’s grandfather, instead of his father. 

It also claimed that Kerala people are not natives of India, but rather has Arab lineage from Yemen. 

Aside from former Umno man Khairuddin Abu Hassan, DAP Kedah legal bureau chief Zulhazmi Shariff had also lodged a police report against Zahid and the NRD over the matter.- Mkini

John Mallot : Najib an international pariah

What has happened to governance in Malaysia ?  "A letter to the Malaysian People"

John Malott :   

Some people were surprised when I said that the US government's seizure of assets - condos, mansions, hotels and art work - all of which were  purchased with money stolen from 1MDB and the Malaysian people - was only the beginning. 

It's true. There's lots more to come. 

There will be criminal indictments coming, most likely including Riza Aziz and Jho Low, who both are very closely connected to Prime Minister Najib Razak.  

There will be a mention in a future criminal prosecution of an "unindicted co-conspirator", who now is widely known as "Malaysian Official 1". When he no longer is in office, he will be indicted in th US. 

Here are some thoughts about what happens next on the US side. The US government already has seized these assets, or asked other governments, such as Switzerland and the UK, to seize them. 

They have been blocked. 

Under US law, the next step is for Aziz, Jho Low and others to try and prove in a court of law that the assets that were seized from them truly were purchased with their own money - and not from funds stolen from 1MDB. 

Of course, they cannot prove that. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) filing was meticulous, thorough and totally professional. The evidence is all there. It even includes the transcripts of wiretapped phone calls of a panicked Jho Low talking to his bankers.  

Thanks to the FBI and the DOJ, it is so clear. We know where the money came from.  It was stolen from the Malaysian people through 1MDB. 

Your money, not ours. 

As US Attorney-General Loretta Lynch and the others pointed out many times, the money was stolen from the people of Malaysia. The assets belong to  them. 

So the US government will hold all of the seized assets - the real estate, the paintings, the rights to "Wolf of Wall Street" etc - in trust on behalf of the people of Malaysia, from whom the money was stolen. 

The assets will not belong to the US government. 

(How ironic that the US attorney general seems to care more about this thievery than the Malaysian attorney-general does..) 

In the meantime, the US government will rent out Aziz's condo in New York and his Beverly Hills house. It will take over the management of the hotels in New York  and Beverly Hills  that were purchased by Jho Low with the stolen money. 

The US government will collect the profits from all future sales of the DVDs and TV rights of "The Wolf of Wall Street".  The Monet and Van Gogh paintings will go on exhibition somewhere, so everyone can enjoy. And so on. 

And all of the profit that is earned will be held in trust by the US government on behalf of the Malaysian people. It is your money, not ours.  

What about Rosmah's son, Riza ? 

Young Riza will soon be homeless. The US government has seized his homes. 

In order to save itself and the films it has in production (including a new film about George Washington, starring Leonardo DiCaprio), I predict that Red Granite Pictures will get rid of Aziz. 

So Aziz will be jobless too. 

When the US government files criminal charges against Aziz (and I am sure they will), they will ask the court to seize his passport so he cannot leave the US. 

The Malaysian Embassy in Washington may try to defraud the US government and issue a new passport to Aziz, with a new number, so he can leave the country. At that point, we will see how efficient the US government is at catching this. 

If the Malaysian government asks for the seized assets to be transferred back to them, the US will do so. 

But will Najib do that ? No. If Najib asks for the money back, it means that he is admitting that the money was stolen from the development fund that he headed, that the stolen money went to his stepson and his "advisor" Jho Low, and that he has been lying about this to the Malaysian people for years. 

So, of course he will never do that.  

Asking for the money back will have to wait for a future prime minister. 

And why would Najib want to ask "for the money back" when he and his family and cronies already have it - or have  spent it ? 

An international pariah. 

From an international viewpoint, this is the end of Najib.  He is an international pariah. The world now thinks he is a crook. He is a fraud. The world will want nothing to do with him. He will not be welcomed anywhere. When he speaks to the United Nations General Assembly next fall, there will be only 30 or so people in the room, mostly Malaysians. 

Other leaders will be embarrassed to be seen with him, to shake his hand, to be photographed with him. 

As for Rosmah, her credit at Hermes and Tiffany's and elsewhere is now cut off. Those luxury stores now know the money was not hers. it was stolen from the Malaysian people. They do not want to be complicit in international money laundering. They have their own reputations to protect. 

That is how the world will react. But how will the Malaysian people react ?  Will Najib get away with this, back in Malaysia ? 

I fear that the answer is yes. If so, it means that Malaysia is now in Mugabe-land. 

The inspector-general of police (IGP)  says that the US government never asked for cooperation from the Malaysian government in their investigation. Yet both the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and teh FBI have said that they cooperated with each other in this investigation. The IGP knows the truth, so why did he say otherwise ? Why did he lie ? 

The Malaysian AG says that this is all speculation and innuendo, and that there is no proof of the US government's charges. Yet the US government has issued a very thorough, professional and detailed 136-page filing evidence with th court. It i there for the AG to read. Instead, why did he choose to insult the integrity of the US government ? 

Why did he lie ? 

As long as Malaysia's IGP and AG continue to deny the truth in the face of the overwhelming facts, we know where this is going. 

How ironic it is, that is the US government - the FBI and the US Attorney-General - who are doing the job that the IGP and Malaysian AG should be doing. 

As US AG Lynch said, this is the Malaysian people's money. It is not America's. 

We want to give it back to you.

JOHN MALOTT is a former US ambassador to Malaysia,

Qatar Blockade Fails : Saudi Arabia Forced To U Turn

US dishes dirt on Saudis to flush Gulf blockade on Qatar.

By  Finian Cunningham
 

(Finian Cunningham (born 1963) is a Master’s graduate in Agricultural Chemistry and worked as a scientific editor for the Royal Society of Chemistry, Cambridge)

Saudi Arabia made sudden U-turn on Qatar blockade. 

new list of six watered-down “principles of agreement” issued. 

ultimatum to shutter Al Jazeera no longer on list.

a bad week for Saudis in US media. 

slew of embarrassing stories got wide coverage

undermining Saudi Arabia 

Saudi Arabia capitulated in standoff with Qatar.
 

Qatar blockade

row between Qatar and Saudi Arabia worst flare up among oil monarchies 

All of the energy-rich sheikhdoms are American client regimes. 

prolonged rift posing danger to American strategic interests in region.

Saudi Arabia accused Qatar of “supporting terrorism”,  too friendly with Iran

Qatar accused of meddling in internal affairs of Arab neighbors, inciting instability.

Saudi blockade imposed 13 demands, deadline June 23 

Qataris simply ignored ultimatum.

One of the demands : to shutter Al Jazeera TV

betrayed despotic nature of Saudi Arabia 

standoff acutely discomfiting for Washington

association with despotic (Saudis) under sharp focus 

US rely on Qatar for main military base serving Middle East. 

American Central Command HQ in Qatar 

al Udeid airbase, 10,000 troops stationed, hub for US air strikes in Iraq, Syria

coordinating center - Afghanistan to Yemen.

America’s position predicated on unity between Sunni kingdoms. 

At stake is US military projection, global petrodollar monetary system 

US media cranked up damaging stories on Saudi Arabia 

1.  US media played up story on "skirt arrest"

• prominent coverage on arrest of young Saudi woman for wearing skirt. 
• US media went big on story. 
• young lady promptly released from custody without charge.

                                                "I Kill You" - Saved by her hemline.

2.   Story of Saudi student facing beheading 

• participated in anti-government protests. 
• Trump being implored to intervene 

3.  Another juicy read was palace intrigue in House of Saud

• ouster of Crown Prince in soft coup 
• Mohammed bin Nayef  under house arrest to prevent counter-coup
• NY Times relied on CIA,  net effect to undermine Saudis

4. Biggest story was UAE hacking fake news in Qatar 

• given prominence by Washington Post
• US intelligence backed Qatar in row with Saudi 
• US intel said Qatar News Agency (QNA) hacked by UAE on May 24
• which sparked the whole stand-off in the first place.

UAE planted fake news on QNA site that the :

• Qatari ruler praised Iran as “Islamic power” 
• voiced support for Hamas. 

which caused Saudis to imposed blockade on Qatar 

issued demands, notably shut-down of Al Jazeera.

following these bad news stories in US media,  impasse set for resolution.
Saudi made sudden U-turn on Qatar. 

new list of 6 watered-down “principles of agreement” issued. 

ultimatum to shut down Al Jazeera no longer on list.

dishing dirt on Saudis allowed US to flush Persian Gulf blockage.

My comments :  Its not that easy.  Among the camel shaggers, once insults are traded, the feuds will drag on for longer.

The Qatar-Saudi feud is a little more mundane (dull). It also involves questions on legitimacy. Legitimacy of the Saud clan to the throne of the Wahhabi religion. Ouch!

The Qatari sheikh claims to be the more "rightful" heir of Ibn Abdul Wahhab the founder of satanic Wahhabism.

Here is some Arab mud slinging :

"Qatar's ruling al-Thani family traces its history to Najd, the central and northern part of Saudi Arabia where Ibn Abd al-Wahhab was from, but it is not clear whether there is a direct family link to him.

the statement referred to "the emir of one of the Gulf states" who had built a mosque named after Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, claiming that the cleric was his great grandfather. Qatar's state mosque, opened in 2011, is known as the Sheikh Mohammed ibn Abd al-Wahhab mosque."

Recall Lawrence of Arabia saying (in 1949) that the Arabs will always be "a little people, a silly people, greedy, barbarous and cruel'.

Here is the movie clip :

Link : https://youtu.be/4gMt1PBC5BU

PAS Dan BN Terjun Dalam Kubur Yang Sama

Innalilaahi wa inna ilaihi raajiun

Its Ok, Petronas Will Lose Only RM2.16 Billion.

PETALING JAYA: (Petronas) could incur RM2.16bil following decision to abort  (RM124bil) Pacific NorthWest liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in western Canada.

 
(Japex) that has a 10% stake in the Pacific NorthWest LNG project consortium would take a loss of about (RM349mil) 

 

Petronas’ portion would be about six times the amount considering its 62% stake in the consortium,” said an industry analyst.

Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/business/business-news/2017/07/27/petronas-likely-to-take-a-hit/#jhVo3VOQziuWYGpP.99

 

My comments : One commenter said Petronas has not built anything yet on the ground. 

 

So they spent the RM2.16 Billion on halal hamburghers? Where did the money go.

 

Like the Dumbno business model. Plan it, spend money then cancel it. Then pay compensation, claims, pampasan etc. 

'Pandikar’s excuses to reject 1MDB questions doesn’t stand up to scrutiny'

MP SPEAKS | Three days after the furore of rejecting more than 30 questions in relation to 1MDB, the Parliament Speaker, Pandikar Amin finally broke his silence.

He argued that Parliament questions are “subject to rules and procedures”.

"If the questions are accusations, assumptions, offensive, or made up, of course, I will throw it out," the speaker said.

He also argued that questions in the House can't be sub judice and affect court cases, such as the civil forfeiture suits brought on by the US Department of Justice (DOJ).

Unfortunately, while the reasons he gave may have sounded reasonable at the first instance, they do not stand up to any scrutiny when you conduct any objective evaluation of some of the questions posed.

I had a record 5 questions rejected – more than anyone else, and the most I’ve had rejected in any parliamentary sitting over the past eight to nine years.

None of my questions were rejected because they were “sub-judice”. I was careful to avoid my questions being canned for the above reason, invalid as it might be, when drafting my parliamentary questions.

They were all rejected because of presumably questionable assumptions (“sangkaan”) or that they were a figment of my imagination (“buah fikiran”).
In a question, I had asked what is the current value of 1MDB’s investment in “units” previously valued at US$2.3 billion and who is the current “custodian bank”.

This isn’t the first time I had asked the above question. Although the replies given by the finance minister were never satisfactory, at least the question was never rejected in the past. Why is it rejected now?

Worse, both the finance minister(s) and 1MDB had released official statements with regards to 1MDB’s investment in these “units”, which were previously held by BSI Bank as the “custodian bank”. Neither of these facts was “sangkaan” or “buah fikiran” on my part.

Therefore, the basis of rejecting the question is outrageous and an abuse of the speaker’s powers. 

In addition, my question on whether the attorney-general (AG) had investigated the claims made in the latest United States Department of Justice (US DOJ) suit to seize up to US$1.7 billion worth of laundered assets from 1MDB funds, was similarly rejected because it was deemed a “sangkaan”.

I did not ask about the contents of the suit, nor did I presume the veracity of the facts raised by the US DOJ suit.

All I had asked was whether the AG had investigated the serious allegations which had damaged the reputation and honour of Najib Abdul Razak and the Malaysian government.

After all, Apandi Ali himself has openly stated in the media that the suit filed by the US DOJ was “politically motivated”. The question I had raised merely presented the opportunity for the AG to state his case.

Why was it really rejected? 

We call upon the speaker to re-evaluate the rejection of the above and other questions presented by the Members of Parliament.

Pandikar had asked, even if it was in jest, journalists to be fair to him and to put him in a good light. I am absolutely certain that if he acts impartially, all journalists will write good things about him.

However, if he acts like he was covering up for 1MDB, the largest financial scandal which has afflicted the country, any impartial journalist would have nothing good to say about both the speaker and the Parliament.

---

TONY PUA is DAP national publicity secretary and Petaling Jaya Utara MP. - Mkini

Three parties apply for recusal of CJ

Former de facto Law Minister Zaid Ibrahim, along with two other parties today applied to recuse Chief Justice (CJ) Md Raus Sharif from hearing their appeal over the decision by Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali to not prosecute Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak. 

The two other parties are former Umno member Khairuddin Abu Hassan and the Malaysian Bar. 

The application was made at the Federal Court, on the common ground that Najib advised to the appointment of the CJ.

The Malaysian Bar provided three further grounds, namely that Raus could be a defendant in the Bar's application to challenge his extension as CJ, and that they are holding an extraordinary general meeting on August 3 over the CJ's tenure extension, and thirdly, the Attorney-General, who is the subject matter in the appeal, would represent the CJ in any application. 

This is the first time lawyers have asked a sitting CJ to be recused from hearing a matter.

Justice Raus, who led the three-member bench, dismissed the objection, saying it has been a practice that he will decide cases based on the law. 

The bench is currently hearing submissions on leave to appeal of the three applications. 

[More to follow]

-Mkini