EXCLUSIVE
PETALING JAYA: There is a small segment of the police force that is delinquent, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) has admitted.
He said only about 2% of the police force have been found to have committed wrongdoings last year. Nevertheless, with a 137,000-strong police force, that means about 2,740 personnel have been found to be rogue.
Tan Sri Razarudin Husain (pic), exasperated and concerned over the bad press the police have received recently, is telling his officers to carry out their duties honourably to earn the trust and confidence of the public.
“I urge personnel, especially frontliners, who carry out their duties with integrity to elevate the image of the police force. Serve the public with integrity, this is all I ask,” he said.
Razarudin said that apart from disciplinary action including pay cuts, demotions, suspensions and dismissals over various wrongdoings, several police officers were also charged in court for committing serious crimes.
“It is this small percentage of cops who bring ill-repute and tarnish the image the police force.
These wrong-doers will face severe consequences. No crooked cop will be tolerated or spared from stern action.
“If their supervisors or station heads are found to be incompetent, then we will transfer them out and replace them with capable officers,” Razarudin told The Star.
He said the police Integrity and Standard Compliance Department (JIPS) would continue to weed out delinquent personnel.
Over the past month, rogue cops have left the police top brass red-faced after running foul of the law.
On Sunday, a police station chief from Johor was caught on video assaulting a man at an undisclosed location. Johor police said the man was also transferred to the Batu Pahat police headquarters while he awaits the outcome of investigations.
On Wednesday, two Ampang Jaya policemen were arrested for allegedly raping a foreign student and robbing her male friend in Bukit Ampang View in Ampang Jaya.
On Jan 4, four policemen from Kuala Lumpur were held for allegedly extorting RM10,000 from a man in Kepong.
Another six policemen attached to the Brickfields district police headquarters were arrested at a house in Taman Tan Yew Lai on the same day for allegedly processing ketum leaves for distribution and their own consumption.
Last month, three policemen who were part of a raiding party of a major operation against illegal immigrants at Jalan Silang on Dec 22 were arrested for stealing RM85,000 from a store.
On Dec 19, senior cop Deputy Supt Mohd Nazri Abdul Razak, 44, was charged with murder in Ipoh for allegedly crashing his car into a 17-year-old student and causing his death four days earlier.
Razarudin said daily reminders to stay away from undesirable acts are issued to frontline personnel who perform patrol duties or crime prevention rounds.
“They are constantly checked by their supervisors. They are reminded of their responsibility and to stay away from all wrongdoings in their daily briefings too. All rules, the dos and don’ts are all in place and we regularly improve these measures.
“However, despite drumming all these good values and advice into them, there are recalcitrant personnel who are defiant and choose to be involved in such acts.
“I can only say that it just boils down to one’s character and principles. If a person has evil intentions, no morals, no fear of God and the law, he will commit such acts,” he warned
Penang police chief Mohd Shuhaily appointed new KL top cop as Bukit Aman CID director followed rigorous selection proc process
Newly- appointed CID director who exposed the state of decay in the ranks has given a clear warning to cops on the payroll of criminal syndicates.
THE rot in our police force is far worse than imagined but there is a glimmer of hope: It is no longer being swept under the carpet.
The head of Bukit Aman’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain, has pledged this in no uncertain terms.
At a meeting in Penang on Friday, which was supposed to be a welcoming mandate ceremony for him as the newly promoted director, he stunned the 130 state and district CID chiefs with the brutal expose of the decay in the system.
Comm Shuhaily, the former KL police chief, was blunt in his warning to corrupt officers working in cahoots with criminal rackets. His notice to them: “Change or be changed.”
“You’re willing to sacrifice the lives of your comrades because of the money you get from syndicates. In other words, there are some here who are willing to kill each other for money,” the CID director said during the closeddoor conference.
The video footage of his speech was posted online and has since gone viral.
Comm Shuhaily said the venality and corruption in the system has remained unchecked because there is no supervision, especially in monitoring the lifestyles of officers and lower ranking police personnel.
For example, he questioned how it is possible for a sergeant to buy a Toyota Alphard, Vellfire, or a Mercedes with money earned only from his salary.
(A police sergeant comes under Grade YA5, for which the minimum salary is RM1,824 with the maximum of RM5,801. The base model of Toyota Alphard costs RM464,000. With a year’s insurance of RM14,366 and road tax of RM4,182, the on-the-road price of the vehicle is a whopping RM482,548. Reconditioned models a few years older cost about RM40,000 to RM50,000 less.)
“Have their superiors ever asked how they could afford such luxury vehicles based on the salaries they earn, or whether they have declared their assets? This is all part of existing police task force directives,” he said.
Comm Shuhaily said the supervising officers were not just negligent in motoring junior officers but were also directly involved by being on the criminal syndicates’ payroll.
“Some are equally bad. They go and buy these luxury cars together with their sergeants and even pick out the registration plate numbers together. Isn’t this what’s happening?” he said, underscoring the state of corruption in the force.
Addressing those in the meeting who had not met the basic requirements of their responsibilities, he said they would be removed from the CID and barred from holding any higher rank.
Citing the observation of the late former IGP Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Omar, who served from 2003 to 2006, he said most officers were “promoted to the level of incompetence”.
“They make wrong decisions or dare not decide nor give directives when needed. They play safe all the time to get their positions. They are only clever at PR.”
Describing irresponsible officers and those who work with criminal rackets for monthly payments as “traitors”, he said they were not fit to talk about defending the country, race or religion.
Comm Shuhaily said he expected everyone in the CID, from officers in the Bukit Aman HQ to personnel in stations across the country, to stop associating with criminal syndicates.
Although there is cynicism in the ranks over the CID director’s admonition, likening it to the adage of “A new broom sweeps clean”, Malaysians have largely welcomed the man’s trenchant warning against police misconduct.
But in all honesty, what are the chances of our police force being cleansed under the existing laws to check abuses and accountability?
It won’t happen with the Independent Police Conduct
Commission (IPCC) Act 2020, which has been described as “toothless” by human rights and civil society groups.
The IPCC, which only came into force this July after being passed three years ago, does not have the key ingredient for it to be effective: authority to discipline.
This lame piece of legislation has also weakened the scant police oversight provided under the Enforcement Agency Integrity Commission (EAIC). The IPCC does not even include search and investigation powers provided under the EAIC.
The IPCC has no powers to act against police officers found guilty of wrongdoing. It can only recommend proposed actions to the Police Force Commission or other appropriate authorities.
It is a poor substitute for the original Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC), first mooted in 2005 as part of 125 recommendations by the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Royal Malaysia Police.
Members of the commission included prominent figures such as a former IGP, representatives of the police force and the Retired Senior Police Officers’ Association of Malaysia, among others.
The establishment of the IPCMC to probe cases of police abuse and to discipline culprits responsible was among the commission’s main recommendations.
Although a proposed Bill was drafted as part of the report, resistance from within the police force was too strong for it to make any headway.
In July 2019, the then ruling Pakatan Harapan coalition, tabled its IPCMC Bill, which was criticised as a gross disappointment from what was initially proposed by the commission.
But the IPCMC Act was stymied when the Pakatan government collapsed in February 2020 with the crossing over of many of its MPS in the wake of the “Sheraton Move”.
Among all forms of corruption, it is graft within the police force which hurts a country the most. In Malaysia, it has come to a level where corrupt officers are in the pockets of criminal rackets.
Meaningful reform cannot take place if the cops are allowed to continue investigating misconduct cases involving their own. Or if corrupt officers are only given slaps on wrists by being transferred out or barred from promotion.
The only viable solution to cleanse the much-marred image of our police force is to set up the IPCMC as it was first proposed 18 years ago. It is still not too late to do so.
- Media consultant M. Veera Pandiyan likes this quote by a US Chief Justice, Earl Warren: “The police must obey the law while enforcing the law.” The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.
KUALA LUMPUR: Comm Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain says he was pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming response from the public following the video of his recent address to CID officers.
The Bukit Aman CID director said it showed that the public knew about the state of the police, and that it was an "open secret".
"I firmly believe if we are plagued by disease, we must first admit it.
"If we don't, then the doctor could not administer the right cure or medicine," he told a press conference in Bukit Aman on Wednesday (Oct 11).
He was commenting on the recent videos of his address to CID officers, where he was hard hitting, including highlighting wrongdoings of some officers.
"What I did is just amplifying what the IGP and Deputy IGP have been saying in wanting to clean up the police force.
"They have been saying it, I merely amplify it," he lamented.
Comm Mohd Shuhaily said as an initial move, all CID officers holding sensitive positions, including district CID chiefs and D7 (Secret Societies, Gambling and Vice Division), have to declare their assets, and must be transparent and comprehensive.
"If someone is able and can afford a certain lifestyle, they must show they have legitimate sources of income.
"We will conduct continuous auditing to ensure high integrity among CID officers," he said.
Comm Mohd Shuhaily also said applications for sensitive positions in the department were also open.
"We will issue the offer to any officer or personnel.
"They must send their application letter along with forms declaring their assets," he said, emphasising that his address was a call for his officers to change.
"Whatever we do, it will have a reaction, be it positive or negative.
"However, the overall reaction by the public has been positive, but we need the public to help us.
"Change belongs to you," said Comm Mohd Shuhaily, who added the reason the video was disseminated was so that it could reach a wider audience.
"During the address, I could only address 140 officers present at the venue, whereas I have 10,000 officers and personnel in the department," he said.
'He helped, among others, bring down a government that had ruled for 61 years, helped
bring criminal charges against a former premier and friend, and catalyzed the return of a 93 year old man to power... - S. Jayasankaran'
https://youtu.be/txYy9oVWGCw
Headline News
Cops file charges against the Lows
KUALA LUMPUR: Police have filed criminal charges against businessman Low Taek Jho and his father for offences under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 over money allegedly stolen from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
A source said the charges were filed in absentia by the police with the sanction of the Attorney General’s Chambers at the Putrajaya Sessions Court yesterday morning.
According to the charge sheets made available to The Star, Low – also known as Jho Low – is facing eight counts of money laundering.
In the first, second and third charges, the 37-year-old allegedly received US$261,449,960 from unlawful activities into his BSI Bank Limited account.
In the fourth to eighth charges, he allegedly transferred €41,100,073.22 and US$140,636,225.10 into the account of World View Limited, Caymans Island, in Caledonian Bank Limited, Caymans Island.
The offences were allegedly committed at BSI Bank Limited, No.7, Temasek Boulevard, #32-01 Suntec Tower One, Singapore, between Dec 26, 2013, and June 3, 2014.
Jho Low’s father Tan Sri Low Hock Peng, 66, also faces a charge of money laundering where he allegedly transferred monies from unlawful activity amounting to US$56,449,980 from his bank account into his son’s BSI Bank Limited account.
He allegedly committed the offence at the same BSI Bank Limited on Feb 4, 2014.
All the charges were under Section 4(1)(a) of the Act, which carries a fine up to RM5mil, imprisonment for a term up to five years, or both, upon conviction.
The source said police also applied for warrants of arrest for Jho Low and his father.
The source said a portion of the money was used to purchase the luxury yacht Equanimity, which was seized by Malaysia two weeks ago.
Under Section 401 of the Criminal Procedure Code, an absent person with no immediate prospect of arrest may be tried by the court for an offence in his absence.
In a related development, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said the new charges enabled the Royal Malaysia Police to obtain new warrants of arrest for Jho Low and his father.
“From there, we will ask Interpol to issue a fresh Red Notice alert on the duo. The Red Notice will seek the cooperation of relevant countries in tracking down the wanted persons,” he told The Star.
The Red Notice will also expedite the extradition process, which will be handled by the Attorney General’s Chambers, and to bring the duo back to Malaysia, he said.
“Our priority has always been to track them down and detain them as soon as possible,” he added.
Based on the charge sheets seen by The Star, journalists visited Jho Low’s family home in Tanjung Bungah, Penang, but no one appeared to be home.- The Star.
Despite being owners of the yacht in question, Equanimity (Cayman) Ltd. has received no legally valid notice of any filing related to a Sale Pendente Lite, nor any notice of a pending court hearing in the matter. This would be a requirement under law.
We also note that there are ongoing proceedings before U.S. courts – including a U.S. appellate court – regarding the ownership and custody of the asset, with active requests filed before a U.S. judge within the past 24 hours. Indeed, the U.S. Department of Justice submitted a filing in the U.S. court less than one week ago. For Malaysia to act unilaterally while there are pending court requests in the U.S. would be an affront to the international rule of law. In fact, Malaysia’s seizure of the vessel is already contrary to a U.S. court order appointing the U.S. Government as custodian of the yacht.
The U.S. has previously stated that it had no advance knowledge of Malaysia’s seizure of the yacht, and presumably the U.S. had no advance notice of this current Malaysian action either. It is important to note that, despite conflicting statements coming out of the Malaysian government, the U.S. has not proven its case regarding the Equanimity. The U.S. has only filed unproven allegations in court proceedings, after which the U.S. put the entire case on hold over Claimants’ objections. The result of that is that no party has been able to substantively respond to the allegations, and nor has the U.S. been required to prove them.
In addition, it is indisputably clear that Malaysia’s seizure of the vessel and apparent intent to immediately sell it goes entirely against the interests of the yacht and will drastically reduce – indeed, it is already drastically reducing – its potential sale value. Due to the Malaysian government’s precipitous, ill-conceived, and misguided actions, the yacht is running 24 hours per day, 7 days a week on generator power, which is unsustainable and harmful to the vessel. Moreover, Malaysia has currently docked the yacht in a hazardous environment in which toxins such as water pollution and nearby smoke are greatly damaging it. Because Malaysia apparently does not have – or does not want to spend – the necessary funds to properly maintain the vessel while it is prepared for a value-maximizing sale, Malaysia has instead proposed a “fire sale,” in which the yacht is to be sold for a fraction of its true value.
To move for a sale in Malaysia immediately would be a remarkable violation of due process and international legal comity and would call into question the actual ownership of the yacht for any potential buyer. These misguided actions would create a cloud on the Equanimity’s ownership that could easily take years to resolve in several courts around the world.
Tsuey Shan Ho
Account Manager Tel +44 (0)20 7092 3992
How Low will Jho go?
Superyacht: A file picture showing seized
luxury yacht Equanimity being brought to the Boustead Cruise Terminal in
Port Klang on Aug 7. — Reuters
A man who has never gone to school may steal from a railcar but a man who has gone to a university may steal the entire railroad
–- former US President Theodore Roosevelt
FUGITIVE businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, 38, has described Malaysia’s legal proceedings to quickly sell the Equanimity superyacht as a vindictive “sham”.
According to the rotund reprobate, it was a sham because the boat’s ownership was also being contested in the courts of the United States so the ‘hasty” Malaysian admiralty hearing was, at best, iffy.
But what the corpulent conman seemed not to want to concede was that both governments agreed – unequivocally, unarguably and emphatically – that the yacht was not his to roam the oceans with.
They both agreed that the RM1bil boat was bought with monies that were skimmed out of a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.
Our man Jho has since been keeping a low profile, so low that no one seems to know where the fat fugitive is.
You might say he was distracted: the bulging bandit even left a multi-million dollar private jet back in Singapore and he hadn’t even complained, once, of the uncivil way the authorities just left it out in the sun for over nine months!
In this case, however, the pudgy pirate brought forth his spokespeople to complain about the way the yacht was kept “under the sun” in polluted waters, and with its batteries running 24/7. In short, it was not being treated as a superyacht should have been.
He should be consistent and set forth similar arguments about his private jet. Did I forget to mention that Singapore issued a warrant of arrest for him way back when?
In fairness to our man Jho, he has maintained that he has not stolen anything at all and all the money was his family’s inheritance to begin with.
The problem with that is that at least three countries – the US, Malaysia and Singapore – disagree with its reasoning. Another problem would be his absence from places where people want to ask him hard questions.
It is said that a fool and his money are soon parted. But Fat Boy and Other People’s Money was soon partying and the money seemed endless.
Mario Puzo, the author of the Godfather, put it like this: “A lawyer with a briefcase can steal millions more than a hundred men with guns.”
Let’s face it. He lived, what the Eagles called, Life in the Fast Lane.
He had a private jet and a superyacht.
He had palatial homes all over the world.
He dated Hollywood actresses.
He helped bankroll a Hollywood blockbuster.
He helped bring down a government that had ruled for 61 years, helped bring criminal charges against a former premier and friend, and catalysed the return of a 93 year old man to power.
He may have had more citizenships than Caesar.
And – wonder of wonders - he had no official position in 1 Malaysia Development Bhd. His name must surely resonate in future history books.
Breaking news! Just got word that Fat Boy and his father have been charged by the Attorney General’s Chambers for money laundering offences involving RM1bil, funds that were allegedly used to buy the yacht.
This will make Malaysia the first country to charge our man Jho. Not bad for an Attorney General who was said to “know nothing” of criminal law.
Now we know why they say money launderers are filthy rich.
'He helped, among others, bring down a government that had ruled for 61 years, helped bring criminal charges against a former premier and friend, and catalyzed the return of a 93 year old man to power... - S. Jayasankaran'
https://youtu.be/txYy9oVWGCw
Headline News
Cops file charges against the Lows
KUALA LUMPUR: Police have filed criminal charges against businessman Low Taek Jho and his father for offences under the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 over money allegedly stolen from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
A source said the charges were filed in absentia by the police with the sanction of the Attorney General’s Chambers at the Putrajaya Sessions Court yesterday morning.
According to the charge sheets made available to The Star, Low – also known as Jho Low – is facing eight counts of money laundering.
In the first, second and third charges, the 37-year-old allegedly received US$261,449,960 from unlawful activities into his BSI Bank Limited account.
In the fourth to eighth charges, he allegedly transferred €41,100,073.22 and US$140,636,225.10 into the account of World View Limited, Caymans Island, in Caledonian Bank Limited, Caymans Island.
The offences were allegedly committed at BSI Bank Limited, No.7, Temasek Boulevard, #32-01 Suntec Tower One, Singapore, between Dec 26, 2013, and June 3, 2014.
Jho Low’s father Tan Sri Low Hock Peng, 66, also faces a charge of money laundering where he allegedly transferred monies from unlawful activity amounting to US$56,449,980 from his bank account into his son’s BSI Bank Limited account.
He allegedly committed the offence at the same BSI Bank Limited on Feb 4, 2014.
All the charges were under Section 4(1)(a) of the Act, which carries a fine up to RM5mil, imprisonment for a term up to five years, or both, upon conviction.
The source said police also applied for warrants of arrest for Jho Low and his father.
The source said a portion of the money was used to purchase the luxury yacht Equanimity, which was seized by Malaysia two weeks ago.
Under Section 401 of the Criminal Procedure Code, an absent person with no immediate prospect of arrest may be tried by the court for an offence in his absence.
In a related development, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said the new charges enabled the Royal Malaysia Police to obtain new warrants of arrest for Jho Low and his father.
“From there, we will ask Interpol to issue a fresh Red Notice alert on the duo. The Red Notice will seek the cooperation of relevant countries in tracking down the wanted persons,” he told The Star.
The Red Notice will also expedite the extradition process, which will be handled by the Attorney General’s Chambers, and to bring the duo back to Malaysia, he said.
“Our priority has always been to track them down and detain them as soon as possible,” he added.
Based on the charge sheets seen by The Star, journalists visited Jho Low’s family home in Tanjung Bungah, Penang, but no one appeared to be home.- The Star.
Despite being owners of the yacht in question, Equanimity (Cayman) Ltd. has received no legally valid notice of any filing related to a Sale Pendente Lite, nor any notice of a pending court hearing in the matter. This would be a requirement under law.
We also note that there are ongoing proceedings before U.S. courts – including a U.S. appellate court – regarding the ownership and custody of the asset, with active requests filed before a U.S. judge within the past 24 hours. Indeed, the U.S. Department of Justice submitted a filing in the U.S. court less than one week ago. For Malaysia to act unilaterally while there are pending court requests in the U.S. would be an affront to the international rule of law. In fact, Malaysia’s seizure of the vessel is already contrary to a U.S. court order appointing the U.S. Government as custodian of the yacht.
The U.S. has previously stated that it had no advance knowledge of Malaysia’s seizure of the yacht, and presumably the U.S. had no advance notice of this current Malaysian action either. It is important to note that, despite conflicting statements coming out of the Malaysian government, the U.S. has not proven its case regarding the Equanimity. The U.S. has only filed unproven allegations in court proceedings, after which the U.S. put the entire case on hold over Claimants’ objections. The result of that is that no party has been able to substantively respond to the allegations, and nor has the U.S. been required to prove them.
In addition, it is indisputably clear that Malaysia’s seizure of the vessel and apparent intent to immediately sell it goes entirely against the interests of the yacht and will drastically reduce – indeed, it is already drastically reducing – its potential sale value. Due to the Malaysian government’s precipitous, ill-conceived, and misguided actions, the yacht is running 24 hours per day, 7 days a week on generator power, which is unsustainable and harmful to the vessel. Moreover, Malaysia has currently docked the yacht in a hazardous environment in which toxins such as water pollution and nearby smoke are greatly damaging it. Because Malaysia apparently does not have – or does not want to spend – the necessary funds to properly maintain the vessel while it is prepared for a value-maximizing sale, Malaysia has instead proposed a “fire sale,” in which the yacht is to be sold for a fraction of its true value.
To move for a sale in Malaysia immediately would be a remarkable violation of due process and international legal comity and would call into question the actual ownership of the yacht for any potential buyer. These misguided actions would create a cloud on the Equanimity’s ownership that could easily take years to resolve in several courts around the world.
Tsuey Shan Ho
Account Manager Tel +44 (0)20 7092 3992
How Low will Jho go?
Superyacht: A file picture showing seized luxury yacht Equanimity being brought to the Boustead Cruise Terminal in Port Klang on Aug 7. — Reuters
A man who has never gone to school may steal from a railcar but a man who has gone to a university may steal the entire railroad –- former US President Theodore Roosevelt
FUGITIVE businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, 38, has described Malaysia’s legal proceedings to quickly sell the Equanimity superyacht as a vindictive “sham”.
According to the rotund reprobate, it was a sham because the boat’s ownership was also being contested in the courts of the United States so the ‘hasty” Malaysian admiralty hearing was, at best, iffy.
But what the corpulent conman seemed not to want to concede was that both governments agreed – unequivocally, unarguably and emphatically – that the yacht was not his to roam the oceans with.
They both agreed that the RM1bil boat was bought with monies that were skimmed out of a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund.
Our man Jho has since been keeping a low profile, so low that no one seems to know where the fat fugitive is.
You might say he was distracted: the bulging bandit even left a multi-million dollar private jet back in Singapore and he hadn’t even complained, once, of the uncivil way the authorities just left it out in the sun for over nine months!
In this case, however, the pudgy pirate brought forth his spokespeople to complain about the way the yacht was kept “under the sun” in polluted waters, and with its batteries running 24/7. In short, it was not being treated as a superyacht should have been.
He should be consistent and set forth similar arguments about his private jet. Did I forget to mention that Singapore issued a warrant of arrest for him way back when?
In fairness to our man Jho, he has maintained that he has not stolen anything at all and all the money was his family’s inheritance to begin with.
The problem with that is that at least three countries – the US, Malaysia and Singapore – disagree with its reasoning. Another problem would be his absence from places where people want to ask him hard questions.
It is said that a fool and his money are soon parted. But Fat Boy and Other People’s Money was soon partying and the money seemed endless.
Mario Puzo, the author of the Godfather, put it like this: “A lawyer with a briefcase can steal millions more than a hundred men with guns.”
Let’s face it. He lived, what the Eagles called, Life in the Fast Lane.
He had a private jet and a superyacht.
He had palatial homes all over the world.
He dated Hollywood actresses.
He helped bankroll a Hollywood blockbuster.
He helped bring down a government that had ruled for 61 years, helped bring criminal charges against a former premier and friend, and catalysed the return of a 93 year old man to power.
He may have had more citizenships than Caesar.
And – wonder of wonders - he had no official position in 1 Malaysia Development Bhd. His name must surely resonate in future history books.
Breaking news! Just got word that Fat Boy and his father have been charged by the Attorney General’s Chambers for money laundering offences involving RM1bil, funds that were allegedly used to buy the yacht.
This will make Malaysia the first country to charge our man Jho. Not bad for an Attorney General who was said to “know nothing” of criminal law.
Now we know why they say money launderers are filthy rich.
Why bother to formulate a new law to check fake news when the real stories are already incredible?
'There must be better explanations for such incredible reports and the bizarre responses from people in power.'
OVER the past week, the news about Malaysia has been running the range from the outrageous to the absurd.
To use a quirky English phrase, the stories beggar belief. In other words, too surreal to be believed.
With the Government proposing a new law to check the spread of “fake news”, there must be better explanations for such incredible reports and the bizarre responses from people in power.
I am listing three examples. The first is Switzerland’s decision to confiscate the equivalent of RM400mil, purportedly linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), which was seized from Swiss banks last year.
The Swiss lawmakers are set to debate a motion to enable part of the funds to be sent back to Malaysia, but according to recent reports, there were no claimants for the money. For context, the RM400mil is more than this year’s budget for my home state of Melaka and the surplus of RM26.4mil can pay for the new bridge on the alternative coastal road in Klebang.
Next is the 91m super yacht, Equanimity, impounded off Bali last Wednesday.
Indonesian police seized the vessel sought by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) in response to a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) request to enforce a court order.
Police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal Abduh said the US$250mil (RM976mil) yacht’s Automated Identification System (AIS) had been switched off in nearby seas before the seizure.
Penang-born businessman Low Taek Jho, who is also known as Jho Low, criticised the DoJ for not proving any offence before acting.
“It is disappointing that, rather than reflecting on the deeply flawed and politically motivated allegations, the DoJ is continuing with its pattern of global overreach – all based on entirely unsupported claims of wrongdoing,” read a statement sent by his unnamed spokesman.
Eyebrows were raised when Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali said the Government would not claim the yacht.
But Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak’s peculiar comment that the DoJ had not shown any “tangible proof” of Low’s ownership of the yacht drew ire and scorn.
He said besides allegations in the civil suit, on hold since last August, there was no evidence of Low’s ownership.
As former minister of trade and industry Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz noted, all it takes is a simple search. The “SuperYacthFan” website, which has a directory of the world’s wealthiest yacht owners, states that it belongs to Low and his Hong-Kong-based investment fund, Jynwel Capital.
If Low is innocent, the solution is simple: Just bite the bullet and face the DoJ.
The third curious case involves Criminal Investigation Department (CID) director Comm Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd’s frozen Australian bank account.
Australian police froze the A$320,000 (RM970,490) account after filing a forfeiture application in the New South Wales Supreme Court in March last year.
Strangely, the senior police officer does not want his almost RM1mil back. His reason? High legal costs.
Australian police noted a “flurry of suspicious cash deposits” into the CID director’s account, which had been dormant since it was first opened in 2011.
The account reportedly grew by nearly A$290,000 (RM879,500) in a month in 2016, mostly in deposits below A$10,000 (RM30,330) – the limit for law enforcement agencies to receive possible money-laundering alerts.
The money came in from branches and ATMs around the country, from the tiny towns in Queensland and in Tasmania to the major cities of Sydney and Melbourne, a week after the officer visited Australia.
In response, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun said an inquiry found that the account was opened in 2011 to enable the transfer of funds to finance the CID director’s son’s education in Australia.
The IGP said the dormant account was reactivated in 2016 for the officer’s daughter’s master’s degree, adding that Comm Wan Ahmad Najmuddin provided documents to prove the money was from the sale of a RM700,000 house in Shah Alam.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission deputy chief commissioner Datuk Seri Azam Baki initially ruled out any further probe as both Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and the IGP had exonerated the CID director. However, Azam has since been quoted as saying the MACC had begun investigating the matter following a report lodged by an unidentified whistleblower.
Deputy Home Minister Datuk Nur Jazlan Mohamed provided another queer twist to the case by suggesting that Australian authorities were using the media to embarrass Malaysia and by asking if they had an axe to grind.
With more doubts continuing to be raised over the case, Dr Ahmad Zahid said Comm Wan Ahmad could have been “a little naïve” about Australia’s legal system.
We can’t blame Malaysians to be sceptical, given the status of the person in question.
Naïve or not, just how costly can it be to hire a good lawyer in Australia to seek justice for the huge amount of money wrongly confiscated?
There have been such cases before and Malaysians have won, most notably former Selangor mentri besar Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib.
On May 1998, he was acquitted of currency regulation breaches involving more than A$1.2mil (RM2.9mil then).
Muhammad had pleaded not guilty to knowingly making a false currency report when entering the country on Dec 16, 1996, and then failing to declare currency when leaving six days later.
Besides saying that the ex-teacher’s English was not good, his lawyers argued that he didn’t know the country’s money exchange laws and that the funds were for buying land for himself and his three brothers.
How much he paid the lawyers remains a mystery, though.
Media consultant M. Veera Pandiyan likes this quote by Albert Einstein: Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.
