RM40mil for Sabah Umno - PKR to file report tomorrow

With sufficient reasons to suspect that the RM40 million political funding to Sabah Umno violates the Anti-Money Laundering Act 2001, PKR will lodge a report on this with Bank Negara Malaysia tomorrow.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and strategy director Rafizi Ramli (from right, in photo) said in a statement today that among the reasons was de facto Law inister Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz's statement that the money had been frozen by the Hong Kong authorities.

This showed it was reasonable to suspect that the money may have been from an illicit source.

"Any transfer from an account frozen on suspicion (of money laundering) must also come under the suspicion of the Malaysian bank receiving it.

"Therefore, the provisions of Act 613 (Anti-Money Laundering Act) make it compulsory for the bank to report immediately to Bank Negara," Saifuddin and Rafizi said in their joint statement.

'Nazri's statement strengthens accusations' 

PKR, the duo stated, had long been amassing evidence and information of the case, enough to enable a report be filed with Bank Negara so that it may investigate.

Especially since, they claimed, the funds involved are believed to be derived from suspected corrupt logging activities, so much so that it prompted investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC).

“(Mohd) Nazri Aziz’s statement concerning the RM40 million in Parliament recently that attempted to free (Sabah Chief Minister) Musa Aman of accusations of corruption, actually served to strengthen the perception that there were elements of corruption and breach of the laws involved”.

They also cited the claim by Tuaran MP Wilfred Bumburing that the money was remitted into a personal bank account of "an Umno leader", further adds to the suspicion the transaction had broken laws.

Bumburing’s (left) statement, and that of Mohd Nazri stating the money belonged to Umno, were examples of wrongdoings which must be reported under Section 16(3) of the Act.

“PKR believes Bank Negara has a strong foundation to begin investigations and vast enough powers to probe the individuals involved.

“Bank Negara’s freedom in probing the case will be closely followed by the international and domestic communities, as it will reflect it’s (Bank Negara) integrity”, the statement reads.