31 May 2023, 05:43 Kuching
30 May 2023, 22:43 London
PKR deputy president Rafizi Ramli’s move to challenge Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Abdul Latiff Ahmad to sue him over statements he made over Latiff’s involvement in the littoral combat ships (LCS) project is a mere ruse in a bid to save face, said Umno leader Mohd Puad Zarkashi.
The Umno supreme council member said it is simple enough for Rafizi to obtain a copy of the marriage certificate of Latiff and the woman said to be involved in the LCS scandal.
“Rafizi is an expert in stealing information. That’s why he was implicated in a Banking and Finance Institutions Act (Bafia) issue,” Puad quipped, referring to the charges against Rafizi following his expose in the National Feedlot Corporation matter.
“As such, it is impossible that he is unable to steal the marriage certificate of Latif and the woman named Zainab Mohd Salleh.
How strange that the former defence minister is leaving it to this United Mafia colleague to speak up on his behalf.
Even stranger is the suggestion that respected opposition leader Rafizi Ramli should somehow “steal” his marriage certificate. This, Puad says, would be “easy” in order to prove the name of the ex-defence minister’s wife (maybe for these practiced crooks it would be).
So far, all the actual ex-defence minister has done so far is to make clear that another lady of an identical name is not his wife. Why doesn’t he pull his own marriage certificate out of the family papers in his closet to make the further point that he is married to nobody of that name himself? Why force Mr Rafizi to prove such a matter by committing a crime?
Do these UMNO folk want to pull everyone into the same boat as them with a list of crimes to their name? Granted, Rafizi has committed acts in the public interest registered as crimes by UMNO e.g. by criticising the United Mafia and revealing their criminal secrets in the past.
But breaking, entering and stealing? That is an UMNO sort of crime, beneath the vast majority of upstanding folk.
Meanwhile, the ex-minister and all concerned ought really to be jumping on to this matter instead of bickering. What Rafizi has revealed and no-one has yet disputed is that SOMEBODY with a female Malaysian name was the owner of two off-shore companies in Labuan and BVI that were masquerading as subsidiaries of a French supplier to the LCS project recommended by Najib’s pals at DCNS.
It certainly looks like a classic Najib/Jho Low scam, a known signature of the 1MDB scandal that went before (except it seems it is more a United Mafia ruse than anything special to Jho Low). The MO was so simple that the only way it could ever remain covered-up was through a powerful government sitting on the evidence.
The Paris company received RM3 million for its supplies, for which it was doubtless well contented having been set up just weeks before the operation. However, Boustead’s LCS project sent tens of millions of ringgit to this lady in the off-shore islands in pursuit of the same orders!
As for cover-up? Nothing was done about the scam when it was all found out about, which it must have been by management, the board – until the United Mafia were kicked out of office. In 2018 a report was produced, which was sat on by the United Mafia when they got back to office.
So, we are for now still left to wonder which sort of lady might have been allowed to get away with such an outrage fully protected by the United Mafia? Jaded Malaysians are unfortunately likely to assume that a wife of the political number two in charge of the contract whom Rafizi has accused would make a very credible candidate for obvious reasons.
If Mr Rafizi has misidentified the lady then the defences of public interest and good reason to believe (he has clearly been informed by people who ought to know that this is who she is) will provide strong shields against any defamation case against him. In clear mitigation he has just revealed to the public exactly how billions have been stolen from the army pension fund, thanks to the United Mafia, in yet another outrageous heist.
This is something the United Mafia chose to cover up instead. No wonder the ex-minister has taken his time to consider his options when it comes to suing Rafizi.
Meanwhile all this fellow needs to do if Rafizi has got it wrong is reach into his cabinet, read out the facts he has to hand and do something positive to assist in the uncovering of this massive crime.
What is stopping him and what is this Puad going on about?
Prime Minister Ismail Sabri was booed by thousands of Umno members during party president Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s special address today…
Members also shouted, “Where is Mail (Ismail)?” as he was the only prominent party leader seemingly absent from today’s special presidential address.
Ahmad Zahid also again called for Parliament to be dissolved soon, to pave the way for a general election (GE15).
“(Be) ready to face the GE anytime. Barisan Nasional’s big victory is a reinforcement of Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s struggle for the party and the country.
“We believe that the government led by Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob will not let this hope fade away even if the date of the general election is delayed,” he told party members who responded with chants of “Bubar! (Dissolve)”.
Desperation is not a pretty sight. It was not pretty to watch Najib’s disgraceful game-playing as he tried to conjure yet more delays to avoid his sentence and nor is it pretty to watch the thinly veiled threats of this party President who has had the bald cheek not to step down from that position whilst facing prosecution.
It seems neither man feared his God sufficiently to resist stuffing their pockets full of cash in the name of charity, but both are as scared as children to face a night behind bars – something they have happily inflicted on others who have crossed their ambitions without a second thought.
But it is a well known truth that criminals are generally cowards as are bullies who seek to turn a crowd against those seeking to uphold democratic principles and the law. As Zahid attempts every possible antic to force what he hopes is an election that he can win (by the usual trickery) he further demonstrates his guilt.
Fellow United Mafia Network Organisation (UMNO) leader Azalina Othman (she who for years vociferously claimed no money had been stolen from 1MDB) explained the strategy to the baying, red uniformed mob.
Put in a new AG who then not only withdraws all prosecution charges against those corrupted UMNO leaders whose cases had not yet got to court, she said, but who is also prepared to withdraw after the verdict has been delivered in the prosecution’s favour!
Simply not to contest any future ridiculous UMNO crook appeal these convicted kleptos seek to bring. That is the sort of AG Azalea wants her United Mafia party PM to appoint – she of course would adore to get the job.
This is what the Red Shirts want. So, what of this crook’s paradise they all are yearning for? A Malaysia where some of the world’s most famous mafia party bosses would be elevated back into the heights of government to set about swindling and looting as before, with all their gangster followers liberated once more to extort, blackmail and bully their own communities without restraint.
Who in the world is going to invest one cent in such a place or dare come near? Sri Lanka showed the way, Malaysians ought not to follow.
Najib Abdul Razak said his current situation is as if he is without a defence counsel despite the apex court earlier today not allowing his lawyer Hisyam Teh Poh Teik to discharge himself.
During a press conference at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya this afternoon, the former prime minister recorded his objection in the strongest terms of the appeal proceedings where he claimed that his right to life, liberty, and a fair hearing is at stake.
The former finance minister explained that it was as though he does not have a lawyer because Hisyam was not allowed to adjourn the main SRC appeal hearing to mount a proper defence of the appellant.
Najib contended that his defence could not be put across today and that only the prosecution was able to present their arguments.
Najib Razak has presided over Rough Justice for countless Malaysians and people caught in tough circumstances in his country who have been whipped and imprisoned without mercy for petty crimes, often arising from the poverty inflicted by his own corrupted governance.
We never saw him weep for them.
He has driven his political enemies into jail to get them out of the way – for years. Unlike himself, Anwar Ibrahim was ACQUITTED on the trumped up charges laid against him. Najib was later found to have been directly involved in the trumping up process, colluding with the complainant and the chief of police BEFORE the alleged incident complained of even took place.
However, Najib would not accept that acquittal any more than he accepts his own conviction for blatant corrupt practice (one instance among so very many for which he is yet to be charged). This vindictive ex-PM shed not one tear as he tore apart judicial process and demanded that the prosecutors challenge the acquittal by the courts!
He dragged in his own dodgy lawyer to head the prosecution when the professionals in the AG chambers of the time refused.
That same dodgy lawyer has taken dodgy millions to string out Najib’s own ensuing trials for years, using all manner of dodgy tactics which have now come crashing down in the Apex court as a result of their own tangled mess.
Najib does have a lawyer. It is the lawyer he appointed. Of course, he had hoped that by appointing the lawyer he could achieve another delay to his trial in order to somehow benefit from the political outcome of a planned early election.
However, this time the judges have looked to the law and called out his tactics. He will have to live with the lawyer he appointed, which was not the latest ‘cunning plan’ of his dodgy legal advisors.
To claim that the judges have been ‘bought’ sheds more light on how Najib operated when in power than on the conduct of those he has outrageously accused. If judges can be ‘bought’ then those peculiar reversals of the original acquittal of Anwar Ibrahim, which were so blatantly orchestrated by Najib himself, ought to be the first matter to be examined.
Meanwhile, Najib’s tearful self-pity having inflicted so much grief and injustice and hardship on others is nauseating to behold.
Parti Sarawak Bersatu (PSB) has urged Batu Lintang assemblyperson See Chee How to “act honourably” by quitting his elected seat to pave way for a by-election.
In a statement today, the party said See had signed a pledge to the party promising to resign as an assembly person should he defect.
“We clearly informed each potential candidate that if their intention was to ‘jump ship’ after winning as a PSB candidate, they should not accept the candidacy and never sign the pledge and agreement
Advice is often given to the mistress who marries the husband she cheated with: “If he did it to his first wife then don’t be surprised if he does it to you”.
PSB are well aware that the same See Chee How signed a pledge of a similar nature to the one he signed with them with his former benefactors from PKR.
However, despite the signed promises and threat of legal action, he and his colleagues (mostly lawyers) decided to jump with the man who had handled the money rather than stick to that pledge to the party and its principles.
They did so having been warned they would bring down the whole reforming effort of their nation and would only lead their country back into the hands of the villains they had sought to oppose for years.
Instead, they stupidly gambled on the idea that their man (now the most unpopular politician in Malaysia) would come through to lead the country and make them henchmen.
So, why does PSB believe after such a betrayal that they had anything to expect but similar treatment or that they should be able to rely on any of the other slippery frogs they have gathered in their depleted ranks?
The High Court here has granted a bid by former intelligence chief Hasanah Ab Hamid for a full acquittal in her RM50 million criminal breach of trust (CBT) case.
In April last year, the High Court granted a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) against Hasanah over the case.
Today, judicial commissioner Roz Mawar Rozain allowed Hasanah’s application to vary the court order from a DNAA to a full acquittal after the prosecution, represented by deputy public prosecutor Fairuz Johari, did not raise any objection.
Once again the coup coalition’s tame Attorney General has let off yet another insider from the criminal BN government (of which the present coup government is a re-configuration).
The Lady Spy Chief had nabbed some of Najib’s stolen money and was due for trial and punishment. Except the Lady Spy Chief was not only one of the boys (so to speak) but also knows where many more crimes were committed and where they are buried. That was the nature of her charming occupation.
At first she was let off prosecution, like Najib’s son Riza, under terms that let her off but did not acquit her of the wrongdoing.
Now she has argued even over that, demanding that the record of her wrongdoing be removed. For reasons one can divine the tame AG has decided not to argue and so she has won her spurious argument by default.
Once again, politics trumps the law in Malaysia and the super-criminal Najib is determined that he too will benefit from this practice.
Najib Abdul Razak’s newly appointed lawyers are seeking for the apex court to adjourn the scheduled 10-day hearing next month on the former premier’s appeal in the RM42 million SRC International corruption case.
According to a letter from law firm Zaid Ibrahim Suflan TH Liew & Partners to the Federal Court dated today, the legal team said this is because they were just appointed to represent Najib in the appeal.
The letter, signed by the firm’s senior partner Liew Teck Huat, states that Najib instructed them to seek adjournment of the SRC appeal hearing scheduled from Aug 15 to 26.
The lawyer said it is because “on the basis that a wholly new team has taken over conduct of the above matter”.
No surprise that Najib and his lawyers have executed their latest preposterous delaying tactic in a series of so many that have been allowed to succeed in dragging out this open and shut SRC case for years.
From the endless ‘encounters with Covid’, to ‘a dog knocked me over’, to this blatantly spurious ‘resignation’ of Najib’s mastermind in obstructive tactics, the slippery Shafee, none of it has been believable, acceptable or tolerable.
So far, every judge has said no and there is almost zero room for manoeuvre in the Federal Court over such a straightforward story of simple theft.
Yet, whilst single mothers are tossed in jail for stealing milk, Najib continues to throw his stolen money at buying time with delay after delay in the hope that he can buy/pervert the next election and then lyingly declare that an UMNO win can trump a judgement in the courts.
We all know what they are up to. As night follows day, it was obvious that the moment the lawyers were swapped the new turncoat, instant millionaire counsel would plead for extra time.
It is said that the former UMNO cum PKR lawyer cum politician, Zaid Ibrahim, is requesting a whole year to ‘get on top’ of the SRC case, which the rest of the world already knows to be a plain as daylight simple theft – about as straightforward a case as a theft of a tin of milk from a supermarket shelf.
As Malaysia’s top judges consider this latest outrageous request for super-special treatment from the nation’s most notorious kleptocrat, Sarawak Report would like to draw their attention to a simple fact.
Mr Zaid Ibrahim has been engaged by Najib for many months already, as is well known amongst legal circles in KL. Therefore, far from being unprepared for this shifting of the case on to his shoulders, he has been up to speed.
In short, Najib’s new counsel has already had adequate paid time to review the case as thoroughly as could possibly be needed to handle the present appeal that has been before the Federal Court for months.
He has also had plenty of time to drum up the new angles and excuses Najib seems to be desperate to find to present as ‘new evidence’ to justify his endless stringing out of a shut case.
There is no need for extra time, therefore, on any front. Zaid should be denied it.
Klang MP Charles Santiago has questioned the motive behind the re-tabling in Parliament of the motion to extend the effective period of a subsection of the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) for another five years.
Subsection 4(5) of Sosma, which expires on July 31, grants the police special powers to hold individuals arrested and detained under the act for up to 28 days.
“Why bring this up for debate when it has already been voted down during the previous parliamentary session, unless it is a veiled threat against dissidents?
“And why use the pre-trial detention under Sosma when the police could use the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC) and other acts to arrest and investigate?” Charles (above) questioned in a statement today.
A lot of complaining went on under the PH government, not least because people could complain. However, the problems were minor compared to what has followed, during which to complain has carried a very high risk indeed.
The coup-mongers of February 2020 were ‘blessed’ by the arrival of Covid which enabled them to use this excuse to viciously threaten anyone who wished to protest at the blatant power grab, the incompetence, corruption, double-standards and all the rest. The country was locked down for two years, like most authoritarian regimes.
Now that excuse has run out to some degree the UMNO-led usurpers and their crooked and convicted leadership are resorting to the very same measures Najib used to intimidate the outraged population.
A mild and modest demonstration against soaring prices at the weekend, for example, is being treated as a criminal action by the police who have once again made themselves and Malaysia look ridiculous. Citing violations of the Peaceful Assembly Act 2012 they have sought to detain and investigate everyone who took part with the plain intention of intimidating others who might decide their hungry stomachs need to be heard.
It is no coincidence they are using yet another retrogressive Najib law. So now the UMNO goons are seeking to drive through an extension of the hated SOSMA brought in at the height of the 1MDB scandal to enable the disgraced ex-PM to lock and and silence critics without trial.
MPs have already thrown out that awful idea (note how despite being accorded endless latitude Najib himself walks free) but Sabri’s men are so evidently fearful of dissent they have brought it back for another go in the very self-same parliament.
Bottling up anger and provoking those who seek to let off steam with acts of intimidation and injustice is rarely a good idea. Look where it got Najib. However, UMNO know no better and plainly cannot change. Corrupt governments need thugs to silence protest because they can’t reform themselves.
The judge pointed out that the MACC and other task forces had recommended criminal charges or at least an in-depth investigation into the “fantastical donation” and SRC International Sdn Bhd.
She noted that Apandi had said the MACC itself had met and recorded statements from the donors.
However, during cross-examination, Apandi admitted that the delegation did not meet nor speak to the alleged donor, testifying that the “Saudi Prince refused to meet anybody”, she said.
She noticed that this was contradictory to his press statement in which Apandi had announced that a delegation had flown to Riyadh and personally met the alleged donor himself.
The contradiction is not merely an error but instead a total contradiction. It is indeed suspicious and reasonable to ponder the necessity to be deceptive about the critical proof of the alleged donation by the Saudi royal family.
“Why would Apandi bend the truth about the meeting and recording [of] the statement by the alleged donor?
“Why would the former AG declare to the world that the delegation met the donor (and obtained confirmation from the donor), while it was well within his knowledge that his delegation did not even speak or meet with the fabled donor?
“The court is utterly confounded by the plaintiff’s testimony admitting to adopting the donation narrative as a whole, although in gross absence of direct evidence and in preference to the delegation’s hearsay evidence.
“It is right there that Apandi’s own testimony exhibited a plain, disinterested, evasive and disassociated attitude to investigate the donation further,” she said.
Azimah further reprimanded Apandi for failing to remember the name of the Saudi royal donor who had allegedly made the donation, which she said was critical information and justified Lim’s grounds for investigating Apandi.
“Although with the utmost respect, this court is pressed to express its disdain to the sordid extent of the plaintiff’s self-contradictory testimony, evasiveness and outright untruth.”
Put ex-AG Apandi under the impartial scrutiny of a court of law and he tends to come off badly. A British High Court judge waived him off with a single but telling word, “discredited”.
Last week, after he had had the cheek to sue a politician who had questioned his handling of the 1MDB affair, a Malaysian judge spelt out in excruciating detail exactly why the term fits.
With regard to the fairy tale ‘donation’ story his ‘Bossku’ Najib employed to explain the arrival of his billion dollar theft from 1MDB into his bank accounts the judge pointed out how he contradicted his own press release in court by admitting investigators had never met the alleged princely Saudi donor as he had claimed, indeed he couldn’t even remember the fellow’s purported name.
Whilst all the other investigation agencies recommended a proper examination of the facts, he simply announced his Bossku was ‘cleared’.
We now discover this was the same toady assigned by Najib to try to get the present Malaysian government to sign a deal with Jho Low to swap remaining stolen cash for the dropping of charges.
A non-corrupted, non-UMNO led administration would of course be calling for a full inquiry into this latest outrageous initiative with a view to tracing where Jho Low is, where he is hiding his remaining money, what plans are afoot to extract that money and for what purpose?
With Najib’s grossly tainted allies back in office no-one should hold their breath however.
A British lawyer has applied to be admitted as a lawyer in Malaysia for him to appear as the lead counsel for former prime minister Najib Razak in the Pekan MP’s final appeal in the RM42mil SRC International Sdn Bhd case at the Federal Court.
A notice of originating motion filed at the High Court through Messrs Shafee & Co on Tuesday (May 31) named lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw as the applicant.
According to the document, Najib’s appeal would involve serious, complex and novel issues to several branches of criminal and civil laws, practice and evidence, the Constitutional rights of the appellant (Najib), the conduct of proceedings by the prosecution, the adjudication of criminal cases by a trial court and the administration of the criminal justice system…
“For the purposes of the appeal, the applicant possesses special qualifications, experience and expertise which is not available amongst advocates and solicitors in Malaysia,” it stated.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Mark Thomas/Shutterstock (3609666o)
Jonathan Laidlaw QC
Phone Hacking Trial, Old Bailey, London, Britain – 28 Feb 2014
This “Crime Silk of the Year” is certainly living up to his title, seeking to overturn the conviction of one of the most notorious global kleptocrats, brought to book despite his immense power and money by the courts in his own country thanks to multiple international and domestic investigations and a raft of witnesses.
What a professional triumph for QC Laidlaw should he manage to destroy a hard won conviction by the beleaguered forces of law and order and the democratic process in Malaysia against an over-powerful and criminal autocrat who had looted from his people. What a source of pride and income for him!
Meanwhile, his countrymen will hang their heads in shame on his behalf, as yet again Britain’s professional classes have proven themselves to be shameless in their willingness to assist the criminals of the globe either in their thefts, the secreting of their ill-gotten gains, the promotion of their false narratives or in getting them off the hook.
‘Everyone has the right to a defence’ will be Laidlaw’s hoary justification, except his Rolls Royce service will far outclass the defence available to anyone else in Malaysia who have to make do with local lawyers, whom he explains are not up to the immense job of springing Najib.
This is a rich man’s privilege (using stolen cash). We need not expect pro-bono assistance from one such as Laidlaw for the likes of Najib’s bodyguards, for example, who murdered Najib’s alleged mistress to cover up another of Najib’s egregious thefts during the Scorpene affair. On the other hand, theirs is a case at least offers one instance in Malaysia where an Appeal Court ruling WAS over-turned by the Federal Court on grounds that are instructive, not least about Laidlaw’s client.
The Appeal Court had identified several glaring faults and misdirections in the original trial of the bodyguards of the man Laidlaw is defending – not least the absence of a motive on their part and the failure to call vital witnesses (eg Najib and his police chief) and the sudden dropping of charges against a chief suspect (Najib’s aide). Detecting a put up job the Appeal Court had released the bodyguards only to have the Federal Court outrageously re-arrest them and sentence them to death – Najib was by then PM.
Laidlaw should know that the overturning of acquittals as opposed to convictions has been a hallmark of Malaysian ‘justice’ specific to the Najib era, given he is planning on confronting the practices in place.
Back to the present case: helping Najib reverse a far less controversial set of unanimous rulings by the courts will certainly present an unprecedented challenge for the tip-top barrister. Indeed, the Crime QC has made clear he will adopt ‘novel’ approaches to upturn ‘several’ branches of established law in Malaysia to achieve his end. He seems ready to question the administration of the entire criminal justice system in his quest to reverse what might be considered the irreversible, in the absence of corrupt practice at least.
Under normal circumstances, without some stunning new development in terms of evidence or egregious failing by the lower courts, there is really very little a Federal Court ought to be able to do to change such a conviction as Najib’s. However, Laidlaw plans to use his superior foreign arts to be disruptive it would appear, and wary locals might detect murkier plans afoot.
For those who were hoping to at last see some justice against the criminal class who have looted Malaysia unscathed for decades, one recent case raises a glimmer of hope about the outcome of these developments. Laidlaw’s current headline catching client is none other than the tax-evading tennis star, Boris Becker.
Becker has been convicted and sentenced to jail for failure to pay his debts. In the past few hours, through his lawyer Jonathan Laidlaw, the fallen sporting hero has informed the media that he will NOT be seeking to appeal the judgement, having presumably concluded he cannot win, and that he will face his punishment like a man.
PM Ismail Sabri receives honorary doctorate from Nihon University
[Bernama May 24th]
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob was today awarded the Honorary Doctorate in Medicine by Nihon University, one of the most distinguished and oldest private universities in Japan.
The honorary degree was in appreciation of Ismail Sabri’s efforts and contributions in the fight against Covid-19.
Ismail Sabri received the honorary doctorate from Nihon University president Dr Naoto Kato at the university in Itabashi, one of the cities in the metropolis of Tokyo during his six-day official working visit to Japan.
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Nihon University chairman arrested for allegedly evading ¥53 million in taxes
[Japan Times Nov 29th]
Prosecutors Monday arrested Nihon University Chairman Hidetoshi Tanaka for allegedly evading around ¥53 million in income tax.
A special investigation squad of the Tokyo District Public Prosecutor’s Office suspects that the 74-year-old head of the Japanese private university evaded income tax between 2018 and 2020 by hiding earnings, including kickbacks, in violation of the income tax law.
The squad searched Tanaka’s home in Tokyo in September, when it also raided the university’s headquarters. The squad also searched his home in October, when Tadao Inoguchi, a 64-year-old former board member of Nihon University, and Masami Yabumoto, 61, former head of the Kinshukai medical group, were arrested. The two have been indicted on breach of trust charges.
According to sources, investigators found over ¥200 million in cash at Tanaka’s home during the searches, and the squad was looking into the matter.
It appears that the head of this distinguished university was arrested at the end of last year for hoarding kickbacks in his home for which he had moreover evaded tax (given they must have been hard to declare).
One has to wonder what kickbacks a university chairman might be expecting to receive to the tune of hundreds of millions of Japanese yen? The issuing of academic accolades most certainly comes to mind as one possibility.
How unfortunate then that this should have been the university that just happened to wake up to Ismail Sabri’s contribution to the efforts against Covid (which had so lamentably by-passed the rest of world and indeed most Malaysians) in order to present him with this honorary doctorate in medicine!
