Shahrizat at MACC office

Source The Star Online

Malaysian Women, Family and Community Development Minister and Barisan Nasional / UMNO Wanita Chief, Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil went to the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission, MACC headquarters in Putrajaya on Wednesday, 8th February 2012.

The embattled Minister said she had requested to be questioned and investigated over the Natioal Feedlot Centre, NFC issue.

She sent a SMS to The Star to say that she was there voluntarily to put paid to the speculations surrounding the issue.

“Excuse me !! I am here at SPRM willingly. Have requested to be questioned and investigated so that no stone is left unturned. Enuff of wild allegations!” the SMS read.

Datuk Seri Shahrizat Abdul Jalil was seen being greeted by MACC director of investigations Datuk Mustafar Ali on arrival at the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya at 4 pm.

Earlier today, 8th February 2012, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli alleged Shahrizat's family owned 2 more luxury condominiums in Singapore worth RM 34.6 million with bank loans obtained from leveraging the fixed deposit accounts containing part of the RM 250 million loan given by the Government to start up the NFC.



Earlier on Sunday, 5th February 2012, Datuk Seri Shahrizat hit out at her critics by calling one of them a jambu boy (pretty boy).

Calling a certain PKR leader a jambu boy, the Wanita Umno chief said the wing would send him a Wanita Umno baju kurung, as he would look good in it.

“In Perak, I received information that the jambu boy' had been stalking me, trailing my movements over the last three months,'' she said in an event in Kuala Lumpur to celebrate the birth of Maulidur Rasul Day babies.

Although Shahrizat did not name the jambu boy, it is understood she was referring to PKR strategic director Rafizi Ramli who has been hot on her heels over the NFC controversy.

Shahrizat questioned if the jambu boy was eyeing her post, as the wing's strong machinery could be handy for a certain Prime Minister wannabe.

In an immediate response, Rafizi said he was actually flattered that Shahrizat wanted to send him the baju kurung.

“I will accept the gift graciously and gently place it in a wooden box and wait for an opportune moment to bury it along with Barisan Nasional,” he said.

“Shahrizat has probably resorted to personal attacks because she knows I have more up my sleeve.

“We will spring a surprise on her when she returns to the (Women, Family and Community Development) ministry on Wednesday, 8th February 2012'' he said.

Rafizi said Shahrizat was actually missing the point.

“We ask simple questions whether she was involved in decision-making, as her family is not qualified to take on such a project. The public wants closure.

“But instead, she is trying to make political jokes like calling me jambu. I am not handsome,” he said.

Shahrizat also accused the Opposition of going all out to discredit and weaken her because they feared the strength of the Wanita Umno machinery, which was the strongest in Barisan.

“Even if a person has yet to be proven guilty or not, the Opposition will go all out to twist and spin because it is a do-or-die battle for them.

“They can run me down. But I am answerable to Allah,” she said.

On the salvos fired against her from within the Wanita Umno wing, Shahrizat said a leader would always be in the line of fire.

“But as a lawyer and a former magistrate, I am telling them, you don't find a person guilty until proven,” she said.

On her Wanita Umno predecessor Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, who had asked her to step down over the NFC controversy, Shahrizat said it was against her principles to attack older people.

“I will remain tight-lipped,” she said.

She also denied that she was drawing Umno into the NFC controversy because of her refusal to step down.

“I am not a quitter. I am in politics because I have a vision for Malaysia and Wanita Barisan Nasional.

“All over the world, leaders go through challenging times. There is nothing extraordinary or peculiar about what is happening to me,” she added.

Rafizi said Pakatan Rakyat would push for a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the NFC controversy.

He said he would not back off despite being threatened with a lawsuit and being subjected to personal attacks.

All the best Shahrizat.

I have nothing to hide in the MACC investigations : Datuk Peter Anthony

A 41-year-old local businessman in Kota Kinabalu, has admitted that he is the ‘Datuk’ being quizzed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission but he denied the allegations made against him.

Datuk Peter Anthony, the managing director of Asli Jati Sdn Bhd, denied a newspaper report that he was on the run, saying he was in fact giving his full cooperation to the investigators from MACC.

“I am a Datuk, I am 41 years old and the MACC had come to my office according to the news report that said that I was on the run. I am not on the run as reported,” he said.

“I was in Kuala Lumpur when they (MACC) came to my office (in Kota Kinabalu). My staff informed me and I asked them to give them whatever they needed,” he told a press conference in Kota Kinabalu on 3rd February 2012.

His company was reportedly under investigation over alleged false claims involving a RM43 million contract for mechanical and electrical maintenance work at Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).

Anthony disclosed that upon his return, he met with the MACC officers who came to his office on Thursday, 2nd February 2012 and Friday 3rd February 2012, and gave them his full cooperation.

He said MACC wanted a technical report on their contract from 2007-2010 which they were in the process of assisting.

“I have nothing to hide as I want to clear my name and that of my company,” he said in reference to a news report on Thursday, 2nd February 2012, which stated that a department director at UMS was also investigated.

Describing the allegations as just rumours, Anthony said it was meant to smear his image as one of the leaders in KDM Malaysia, an NGO entity that strongly supports the Barisan Nasional (BN).

He also clarified that he was just an ordinary member of Umno and not an Umno division deputy chief.

“I do not hold any position in Umno,” he said, adding that his position as the vice president of KDM Malaysia is not in any way connected to Umno.

Anthony said his company had been sincere with all the works carried out in the university, stressing that everything was according to the law and procedures set by the UMS.

“The contract between the company and UMS is a contract that has been agreed upon by both entities. In fact, before the contract was formalised, the university had the rights to scrutinise any mistake or problems in the contract before it was handed over to the company to be sealed,” he said.

Anthony said that from the allegations, it was about changing the bill of quantity and not the price being jacked up or contract worth that had been set by the government.

“We adhere to the project worth set by the Government and (it) has not been changed. Because the contract is a lump-sum basis, the amount should not be more than what has been decided by the Ministry of Finance. Besides, in the contract, there is arbitration that each contract between UMS and Asli Jati is a valid contract,” he said.

Anthony said that any deficiency or excess would be valued at the end of the contract in July, and if there is any extra, the university or the company would return it.

“So, there is no such thing as we have misappropriated government’s money.

“This is not the first time such allegation was made. It had happened three times before. To me the allegations are only rumours. If my company has committed wrongdoing, I would be fully responsible for it,” he said.

Meanwhile, UMS vice-chancellor Datuk Kamaruzaman Ampon has dismissed as false the news reports that MACC officers raided the UMS campus.

He had instructed the UMS internal audit division to seek MACC’s services to conduct the probe after suspecting abuse of authority and corruption in the administrative management, he said in a statement.

After several series of auditing and investigation, the university’s Internal Audit Division discovered a few suspicious administration management which involved abuse of power and corruption.

In line with the government’s effort to curb corruption, the UMS Vice Chancellor Professor Datuk Seri Panglima Dr Kamaruzaman Ampon has directed for the case to be reported to MACC for further investigation.

“The media report stating that UMS was ambushed by MACC officers was untrue as the case was referred to the department for investigation,” he said, adding that it was part of UMS’ effort to empower its integrity to combat power abuse and corruption.

MACC yesterday confirmed that an investigation is being conducted into allegations of false claims.

Sabah MACC director Jalil Jaafar said the investigation is being handled by the MACC headquarters in Putrajaya.

“Sabah MACC has nothing to do with the probe,” he said.

Source : The Borneo Post Online

Sarawak Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud being investigated, says MACC

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has confirmed that it is currently investigating Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud over allegation of timber corruption.

Its commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed said MACC was in the process of gathering more information regarding the matter.

"As I said earlier, we are investigating Taib Mahmud and whatever our action is, we cannot reveal at this moment," he told reporters at a function in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, 9th June 2011.

Abu Kassim was responding to a question on whether the MACC was looking at carrying out a similar action as the Swiss Anti-Corruption Agency, which recently froze the assets of Taib Mahmud over the allegation of timber corruption.

According to a foreign news report, the Swiss Federation president Micheline Calmy-Rey was reported to be aware of the allegations and had forwarded the information about Taib's assets in Switzerland to its regulatory body FINMA (the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority) for investigation.

Pehin Sri Haji Abdul Taib bin Mahmud is Malaysia's longest serving Chief Minister and has served under 4 Prime Ministers (Tun Hussein Onn, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and the current Premier Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak).

Taib, a Melanau was born on 21 May 1936 in Miri, Sarawak is the fourth Chief Minister of Sarawak and is also the President of Parti Pesaka Bumiputera Bersatu (PBB), which is part of the Barisan Nasional coalition.

On April 2011, the 75 years old Taib led PBB to a clean sweep of all 35 seats contested in the 10th state election, winning an eighth consecutive term as chief minister.

However, the Barisan Nasional coalition despite winning 55 out of 71 seats, suffered its worst performance ever in a Sarawak state election, with coalition partner Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP) suffering badly, losing 23 out of 19 seats due his poor standing among the Chinese community. Even SUPP President, Tan Sri George Chan lost in Piasau to a newcomer from DAP, Ling Sie Kiong.

The DAP won 12 seats overall, while fellow oppositon party, Parti Keadilan Rakyat, PKR won 3 seats while an Independent, Baru Bian won the remote Ba'Kelalan seat.

The Star Online / Bernama news agency/ wikipedia

5 Politicians, including Member of Parliament will be charged with graft

(source the star online)

Hmmm... i wonder who are them??

Well, the Shah Alam Sessions Court will be centre of attraction for the public and the media as well on Tuesday 3 November 2009.

The news from the star online, dateline 2 November 2009.

PUTRAJAYA: Five politicians, including a Barisan Nasional Member of Parliament, a special aide to a Selangor state executive councillor from the DAP and a former special assistant to the mentri besar, have been arrested for corruption.

The remaining two arrested by the Malaysia Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) are the MP’s special assistant and a company director.

All are alleged to have committed graft or attempted to cheat the Government of thousands of ringgit in false claims.

All five are expected to be produced before the Shah Alam Sessions Court on Tuesday where they will be charged with corrupt practices and attempting to cheat.

The MP, who was formerly a state assemblyman, is alleged to made false claims by submitting invoices purportedly for the purchase of materials for a programme that never took place.

His special assistant, who was said to have abetted him and who submitted similar claims, is also expected to be charged with the same offence.

It is learnt that the former assistant to the mentri besar, a member of PKR, is also expected to be charged under the Penal Code with attempted cheating.

He is suspected to have tried to cheat the president of a government-linked company of RM50,000.

The money was purportedly meant for a state government function.

Also expected to be in the dock Tuesday is a company director who allegedly submitted false claims to the Hulu Langat district office for the purchase and supply of goods for several programmes that took place in the Teratai constituency, when no such programmes took place last year.

The Teoh Beng Hock inquest

Are allegations of suspects and witnesses in corruption cases, being abused and manhandled by Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers, true at all??

Read the story below - source NSTP Online

Teoh Beng Hock Inquest told of interrogation methods
2009/08/28

The inquest into Teoh Beng Hock's death yesterday heard shocking revelations of how Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers allegedly abused witnesses and suspects.

Police reports lodged against the MACC revealed how witnesses and suspects were beaten, forced to strip and punched.

The inquest was then adjourned to allow the witness in the inquest to decide whether or not to engage a lawyer as the issues raise may incriminate him.

Earlier updates:

Counsel Gobind Singh produced police reports by witnesses who were questioned by MACC officers at Plaza Masalam, alleging they were physically and mentally tortured during interrogation.

Gobind alleges these involved officers from MACC who are testifying in the inquest.

Witness MACC officer Mohd Ashraf Mohd Yunus told the court that he and another officer questioned Teoh for 2 hours regarding documents related to a graft case involving YB Ean Yong Hian Wah.

In those two hours, he denied he was instructed to psychologically break Teoh down to get the correct answers.

He said he had only sat in the questioning session to help sort out documents and that he did not ask Teoh any questions.