‘HOW NAJIB & JHO LOW SOLD MALAYSIA’S SOUL TO CHINA’ – LONG SUSPECTED & NOW FINALLY OUT IN BLACK & WHITE IF WSJ REPORT IS TRUE

Things just keep going from bad to worse for former Prime Minister Najib Razak.

While we knew that it was never quite going to be virgin piña coladas, afternoon walks, and Florida sun for the ex-PM, who has previously dodged allegations of graft, a new Wall Street Journal report has unveiled an entirely new class of alarming crimes and misdemeanors connected to the 1MDB scandal.

WSJ reporters Tom Wright and Bradley Hope, the gentlemen responsible for getting a lot of Malaysia to read at least one book last year with the publication of their comprehensive 1MDB investigation Billion Dollar Whale, today unveiled their latest shocking findings: Meeting minutes kept by those present at a sit-down between China and Malaysia’s then-rulers in which plans were floated to have the burgeoning superpower paper over Malaysia’s debilitating 1MDB debts via dubious infrastructure contracts.

Said to be brokering the unholy gathering? None other than Malaysia’s favorite fugitive financier: Jho Low.

Are we surprised? “Honey,” we say, taking a long drag of our lychee-flavored vape pen — “You couldn’t shock us if you tried.” Bear with us:

Tom Wright

@TomWrightAsia

THREAD: When Malaysian PM Najib was in trouble in 2016, caught up in the 1MDB scandal, he turned to China. He needed help ending global probes into 1MDB, and stopping investigations by the WSJ, and Beijing stood ready to assist. #BillionDollarWhale /1 https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-china-flexes-its-political-muscle-to-expand-power-overseas-11546890449 …

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7:42 AM – Jan 8, 2019

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A Chinese “Belt and Road” project was planned to help cover debts of Malaysia’s troubled 1MDB fund, according to the minutes of secret negotiations. The new Malaysian leader put the deal on hold.

wsj.com

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Wright details that in the wake of the maelstrom that was brewing on Malaysian shores, Najib sought the aid of the Chinese to both quell the thirst (for blood? justice?) of international investigators, as well as make up for all of those missing billions.

Now, just ask any impoverished African nation, or South Pacific atoll with a UN vote and little infrastructure: China’s favors, gifts, and/or whatever disguised benevolence of the day they send over doesn’t come free.

In fact, it will most likely be a cog in their 21st century plan of global imperialism often referred to as the One Belt, One Road infrastructure program (or simply, Belt and Road Initiative, aka, BRI). What do a new highway in Pakistan, a new rail terminal in Kazakhstan, and a new port in Sri Lanka have in common? Well, they were all built with Chinese capital, using Chinese construction companies, and represent a new sphere of influence for Beijing’s ever-expanding Neo-Imperialistic strategy. 

Unfortunately, things like Sri Lanka’s shiny new port can come at a steep cost: After the country was unable to make loan repayments, they were left with no other option than to lease out their land to Chinese ships, for the next 99 years. Damn.

Now, Wright reports that the “high-level meetings” between officials from the two countries discussed new projects to be used as vehicles for a serious Chinese move into Malaysia, including a railroad and a gas pipeline. What’s in it for us? Well, minutes from the meetings suggest that the projects were to be overvalued, creating a nice pile of money to repay all those 1MDB debts, bribes and other collateral that just won’t go away.

Tom Wright

@TomWrightAsia

 · 22h

Replying to @TomWrightAsia

/3 China engaged at a high level. Here was an opportunity to deepen its One Belt, One Road infrastructure program, building massive projects in Malaysia. But the deals were not meant to be commercial, according to the minutes of meetings between Malaysian and Chinese officials.

Tom Wright

@TomWrightAsia

/4 In the meetings, participants openly discussed how the Malaysian infrastructure projects — a railroad and gas pipelines — would be overvalued, creating excess cash to pay 1MDB debt, bribes and more. But the deals would be sold as commercial ventures. See here: pic.twitter.com/m2dGJmgAo5

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7:59 AM – Jan 8, 2019

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Alarmingly, also up for grabs in Malaysia’s proverbial flash sale were docking rights at two of the country’s ports. While Chinese sea encroachment had previously been something that Malaysia tried to thwart, it was suddenly now on the table. Low and other Malaysian officials needed Beijing’s sway to keep all of these pesky US Department of Justice investigators from sniffing around 1MDB-related corruption sordidness.

Oh, and one more favor. It’s alleged that Malaysia asked for Chinese assistance in wire-tapping the homes and offices of WSJ reporters in Hong Kong, after the paper revealed that Najib was allegedly on the receiving end of over US$680 million dollars of 1MDB cash. Hard not to take that one personally, right WSJ?

Jho Low, the man behind the deal that never quite came to fruition after Najib and his BN coalition were ousted from power in the May 2018 elections, is now in hiding, and allegedly protected by high-ranking Chinese officials.

In a post-election construction contract bloodbath, our nonagenarian leader, Prime Minister Mahathir, canceled these contracts, citing unfavorable terms, inflated costs, and dubious reasoning for his decision to put the kibosh on the projects.

Will Najib’s charge list hit 50+ with these new revelations? We’ll keep you posted.

https://sg.news.yahoo.com

– Coconuts KL/