Rafizi questions new financial crime task force, if new probe will bury 'corporate mafia'

 

Rafizi Ramli has questioned the government's motive for setting up another special task force to investigate financial crimes, amid ongoing scrutiny of the alleged “corporate mafia” scandal.

The Bersama co-leader noted that several investigations had been conducted since the scandal emerged early this year, questioning whether the latest probe was intended to bury unresolved issues and divert public attention.

Rafizi, a former PKR deputy president, said the appointment of Attorney-General Dusuki Mokhtar to head the new Special Investigation Committee on Financial Crime raised several questions.

These included the status of previous investigations and reports related to the scandal, particularly a report on former MACC chief Azam Baki's shareholdings that had been presented to the cabinet.

“Has this committee’s scope been expanded to cover financial crime as a whole, rather than solely the corporate mafia scandal?

“How much public money will be wasted if investigations are restarted, when various reports and investigations have already been completed?

Former MACC chief Azam Baki

“If the scope is expanded to cover financial crime as a whole – as suggested by the prime minister's answers in Parliament last week – is this an attempt to bury the real issues surrounding the corporate mafia and divert attention towards a broader financial crime investigation?” he asked.

Rafizi's statement came a day after Dusuki convened the task force's first meeting.

He also accused the government of potentially misleading the public by conflating the corporate mafia scandal with the wider issue of financial crime.

Citing his monitoring of social media posts by individuals he alleged were government cyber troopers, Rafizi said the narrative appeared to be shifting towards financial crime in general, rather than the corporate mafia scandal itself.

He warned the prime minister that, if this was the government's intention, it would only deepen public anger over the scandal.

Five questions for the govt

Rafizi outlined five fundamental questions that he said the government must answer.

Among them were allegations that Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak, a businessperson and former aide to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, had interfered in government affairs and law enforcement agencies, and that agencies such as the police and MACC had been used to intimidate company owners and shareholders for the benefit of certain parties.

Former aide to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and businessperson, Farhash Wafa Salvador Rizal Mubarak

He also cited businessperson Victor Chin's allegation that a cabinet minister had received a RM9.5 million bribe to resolve the corporate mafia case.

“An investigation that successfully resolves these five questions should lead to prosecutions, supported by evidence presented in court, given that details and documents concerning the corporate scandal have been widely reported.

“Conversely, if these five questions remain unanswered and the government is seen to be using manoeuvres to cover them up, all its efforts to deflect public attention from the corporate mafia scandal will fail,” Rafizi said.

Those implicated deny wrongdoing

Azam has dismissed allegations linking MACC officers to the corporate mafia as baseless and denied wrongdoing over his shareholdings in Velocity Capital Partner Bhd. He also filed a RM100 million defamation suit against Bloomberg over its reporting.

Farhash, meanwhile, denied having business dealings with Azam or attempting to take control of NexG Bhd. He also issued a letter of demand against Channel News Asia over its reporting.

Human Resources Minister R Ramanan has likewise denied claims that he solicited RM10 million from Chin to resolve issues involving the corporate mafia. - Mkini