Banknote Scandal : Former Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Badawi denies attempts made to bribe him

As reported by the Star Online on 5th July 2011

PETALING JAYA: Former Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has denied allegations of attempts to bribe him in order to get his assistance to win a RM100million currency contract while he was in office.

The former Prime Minister who served between 2003 to 2009 said he had no recollection of anyone approaching him with such an offer and that he would have immediately reported the incident to the authorities, had it occurred.

"Under no circumstances am I obliged to respond to any unsubstantiated allegations of impropriety on my part.

"However, there is no truth whatsoever in the allegation as I cannot possibly remember of anyone approaching me with any offer.

"If indeed there was any, I would have immediately lodged a report with the regulatory authorities, including the police, for the necessary follow-up action," Abdullah said Tuesday.

According to a news report published in Australian daily The Age, the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) banknote firms were suspected of attempting to bribe Abdullah in order to get his help to win a AU$31 million (RM99.82million) currency contract.

According to the report, Abdullah was one of several highly influential Malaysian political figures whom anti-corruption authorities believed Securency and Note Printing Australia - firms respectively half and fully owned and overseen by Australia's reserve bank - allegedly sought to bribe using part of AU$4.2 million (RM13.52 million) in commission payments made to two Malaysian middlemen.

The daily said its Malaysian sources confirmed that the Australian Federal Police had gathered information about attempts to bribe Abdullah by Securency and Note Printing Australia.

The newspaper said it was made to understand that the attempt to bribe Abdullah related to contract negotiations occurred around 2003, the year he became prime minister and finance minister.

Abdullah served as prime minister until 2009.

The Age reported the alleged attempt to bribe the former Malaysian prime minister adds to the list of high-profile Asian politicians and central bank officials targeted by the RBA firms.

Australian police last week alleged Securency bribed Vietnam's former central bank governor by paying his son's English university tuition fees.



Last week, Malaysian authorities arrested a former Bank Negara Malaysia assistant governor accused of receiving two bribes from Note Printing Australia Ltd.



Datuk Mohamad Daud Dol Moin, 58, claimed trial at a Sessions Court to two counts of accepting bribes amounting to RM100,000 from a businessman to help procure a contract from the central bank.



The contract was to print RM5 polymer bank notes by Note Printing Australia Ltd.

Mohamad Daud was accused of receiving two bribes of RM50,000 from Abdul Kayum Syed Ahmad at Dome Restaurant, Bangsar Shopping Centre, on Dec 1, 2004, and Feb 16, 2005. According to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the contract was worth about RM95mil.