US Department of Justice (DoJ)

1MDB: Siasatan jenayah bukti isu serius

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Sumber: Sinar Harian

SHAH ALAM – Tindakan Amerika Syarikat (AS) memulakan siasatan jenayah terhadap wang yang didakwa dicuri daripada 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) membuktikan, isu itu di tahap lebih serius.

Lawyer Syahredzan Johan ― MMO File pic

Peguam dan pakar undang-undang, Syahredzan Johan berkata, berkemungkinan AS  menemui dokumen baharu yang diyakini bukti kukuh untuk dikemukakan di mahkamah jenayah.

“Tindakan ini membuktikan AS serius menangani isu 1MDB. Kalau kita lihat, tindakan DOJ (Jabatan Kehakiman) AS memfailkan saman sivil sebelum ini juga disifatkan antara tindakan terbesar DOJ dalam isu ini.

“Mungkin mereka mendapat bukti yang dirasakan cukup kukuh untuk dikemukakan di mahkamah jenayah,” katanya kepada Sinar Harian, semalam.

Mengulas lanjut, Syahredzan berkata, siasatan jenayah itu dilihat sebagai satu tindakan lebih serius berbanding saman sivil yang dikenakan atas 1MDB. Read more →

US now moves criminal investigation into 1MDB funds

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Source: FMT News

DoJ has asked a court in Los Angeles to put on hold its civil forfeiture lawsuits against Jho Low.

Image drawn from FMT News

LOS ANGELES: The US is conducting a criminal investigation into money stolen from 1MDB that allegedly was used to buy more than US$1 billion in real estate and other assets.

Court filings by the Department of Justice (DoJ) Thursday show the US is escalating its probe in a worldwide effort to track how much of the money that was raised by 1MDB for development projects was used to pay for luxury real estate, art, film productions and more.

DoJ officials asked a judge in Los Angeles to put on hold civil forfeiture lawsuits against assets acquired by Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, because pursuing these may have “an adverse effect” on its ability to conduct the criminal investigation.

In its civil cases, the US has alleged that from 2009 through 2015, more than US$4.5 billion belonging to 1MDB was diverted by high-level officials of the fund and their associates.

An FBI agent warned in a court filing that information disclosed in the civil cases may reveal “potential targets and subjects of the investigation and the investigative techniques that have been and will be used in the investigation.”

“Such disclosures could result in the destruction of evidence, flight of potential subjects and targets, or the identification and intimidation of potential witnesses,” according to the agent’s declaration. Read more →

Why fear cartoonists if you have done no wrong, asks Zunar

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Source: The Malaysian Insight

Cartoonist Zunar was forced to cancel his first street exhibition entitled ‘Ketawa Pink Pink’ in Penang after threats from a group of troublemakers. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, July 31, 2017.

IF as Putrajaya claims that the US Department of Justice suits related to 1MDB are politically motivated, then it should not be so zealous in its pursuit of critics here, said cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque.

On Saturday, the cartoonist better known as Zunar was forced to cancel his first street exhibition entitled “Ketawa Pink Pink” that was to open at Lebuh Pantai, Penang, the next day because of “threats from a group of troublemakers”.

The exhibition was to feature his drawings of a well-known woman with pink diamond jewellery.

In the latest DoJ suit filed last month, it noted that nearly US$30 million (RM129 million) were allegedly stolen from 1Malaysia Development Bhd to buy jewellery, including a 22-carat rare pink diamond set in a necklace worth a US$27.3 million for the wife of “Malaysian Official No. 1” (MO1) in 2013. Read more →

Malaysia: Forex loss probe ‘welcome’ but have one for 1MDB too – opposition

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Source: Asian Correspondent

THE Malaysian government must reopen domestic investigations into the massive 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) state fund scandal to prove its latest probe involving former prime minister-turned critic Dr Mahathir Mohamad is not a “diversion”, the opposition said.

Federal Opposition Leader Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said this in response to the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to look into billions of ringgit in losses incurred by the central Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) via foreign exchange trading during the Dr Mahathir’s rule in the 1980s and 1990s.

“The Cabinet‘s decision to set up a RCI to investigate the foreign exchange trading loss by Bank Negara is most welcome,” the People Justice Party’s (PKR) president told a press conference on Thursday, as quoted by Free Malaysia Today. Dr Wan Azizah is also the wife of Anwar Ibrahim, the opposition leader currently in jail for sodomy who is still seen as a major threat to the ruling United Malays National Organisation (Umno).

“Based on the same principle, I demand a RCI be set up to investigate allegations by the DoJ (US Department of Justice) concerning the 1MDB scandal.” Read more →

Minister questions US interference after DoJ’s 1MDB case

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Source: The Malay Mail Online

Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak said a large part of the DoJ statement on July 20 and last Thursday talked about what was happening internally in Malaysia, and an even larger part had no relevance to the subject of whether a crime had been committed on US soil as alleged. — Bernama pic.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 18 — The latest announcement by the United States’ Department of Justice (DoJ) on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB)  was not confined to the subject matter which is about an alleged crime committed on United States of America (US) soil.

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak said a large part of the DoJ statement on July 20 and last Thursday, talked about what was happening internally in Malaysia, and an even larger part had no relevance to the subject of whether a crime had been committed on US soil as alleged.

“The main issue here is not the US or the DoJ but that they are quoting from the complaint that they received.  So the issue here is who are the parties who lodged that complaint with the US DoJ?,” questioned Salleh in his blog https://sskeruak.blogspot.my/, today.

He was referring to the DoJ’s latest filing of lawsuits to recover assets allegedly embezzled from 1MDB.

Taking the example of US interference in Malaysia politics during the years of 1998 to 2003, Salleh said former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was very angry with the US over what he alleged was that superpower’s interference in Malaysian politics. Read more →

HAKAM Statement: AG Must Act Now!

STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT AND DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF HAKAM DATED 16 June 2017

We are truly shocked that the AG has been so quick to dismiss the disclosures made by the latest DOJ findings that 1 MDB funds were used for private persons connected to Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) who has been identified as the Prime Minister by a Minister in the Prime Minister’s department.

The AG is the guardian of the public interest. Significantly, he was part of a special task force to investigate the 1MDB matter. He has also asserted in court proceedings that if there is fresh evidence then he could revive investigations against any wrongdoer.

The DOJ provides this further fresh evidence. Even before then there is ample evidence to initiate proceedings.

Additionally, there is clear evidence of assets within Malaysia emanating from, or related to, the 1 MDB fund. Other countries – such as the US, Switzerland and Singapore – have seized such assets. Some banks and officers have been prosecuted and convicted for allowing 1 MDB funds to be channelled by them. Read more →

STATEMENT: AG MUST ACT NOW!

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STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT AND DEPUTY PRESIDENT OF HAKAM DATED 16 June 2017

pdfWe are truly shocked that the AG has been so quick to dismiss the disclosures made by the latest DOJ findings that 1 MDB funds were used for private persons connected to Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) who has been identified as the Prime Minister by a Minister in the Prime Minister’s department.

The AG is the guardian of the public interest. Significantly, he was part of a special task force to investigate the 1MDB matter. He has also asserted in court proceedings that if there is fresh evidence then he could revive investigations against any wrongdoer.

The DOJ provides this further fresh evidence. Even before then there is ample evidence to initiate proceedings.

Additionally, there is clear evidence of assets within Malaysia emanating from, or related to, the 1 MDB fund. Other countries – such as the US, Switzerland and Singapore – have seized such assets. Some banks and officers have been prosecuted and convicted for allowing 1 MDB funds to be channelled by them. Read more →

New revelations by the US DOJ require answers and action — Bersih 2.0 Statement

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Dated 16 June 2017

BERSIH 2.0 is appalled by the new revelations from the United States Department of Justice (US DOJ) suit on the misappropriation of funds from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

The US DOJ now alleges, with comprehensive records of emails, bank transfers and phone calls, that $4.5 billion (approximately RM17 billion) was misappropriated by high-level officials to finance their “lavish lifestyles…at the expense and detriment of the Malaysian people”.

The filings also show that the statement made by Attorney General Apandi Ali in January 2016, clearing Prime Minister Najib Razak of all charges, was false. It directly contradicts Apandi Ali by stating 1MDB was the only source of funds for the $681 million transferred to Najib. Read more →

Laporan: AS sedia dakwa Jho Low

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Source: FMT News

Sepasukan dari Jabatan Kehakiman AS sudah selesai menemuramah beberapa pihak di Singapura baru-baru ini, lapor WSJ. Pic dari FMT News.

Sepasukan dari Jabatan Kehakiman AS sudah selesai menemuramah beberapa pihak di Singapura baru-baru ini, lapor WSJ. Pic dari FMT News.

PETALING JAYA: Pihak berkuasa Amerika Syarikat (AS) dilaporkan bersedia mendakwa Low Taek Jho, atau Jho Low, jutawan rakyat Malaysia kelahiran Pulau Pinang yang dinamakan Jabatan Kehakiman AS (DOJ) tahun lalu dalam kertas siasatan salah guna wang 1MDB, lapor The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

WSJ memetik sumber di Singapura berkata pasukan DOJ baru-baru ini selesai melakukan soal siasat di republik itu dalam persediaannya mendakwa Jho Low.

Pada 20 Julai, DoJ menerusi siasatannya mendapati lebih AS$3.5 bilion dilencongkan daripada dana 1MDB, syarikat milik Kementerian Kewangan yang diilhamkan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak pada 2009.

DoJ memfailkan saman sivil di Los Angeles untuk merampas sejumlah AS$1.2 bilion aset yang dibeli dengan dana didakwa digelapkan daripada 1MDB dan dipindahkan ke AS menggunakan syarikat kosong, dan menamakan beberapa individu. Read more →

MO1 is Najib, but why didn’t DOJ name him, asks Rahman Dahlan

Raevathi Supramaniam

Source: Malaysiakini

Putrajaya has officially confirmed that the Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) mentioned 36 times in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) civil suit related to 1MDB is Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

“I’ve said it openly. Obviously, if you read the documents, it is the prime minister,” Umno minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan was quoted by British media network BBC as saying today.

“But, I have also said, why didn’t the DOJ name him by his proper name? That’s because he is not part of this investigation.

“There have been other people who are named… and the Department of Justice will take this to the courts and the courts will decide,” Rahman (photo) told BBC.

However, the minister in the Prime Minister’s Department said Najib should not take responsibility for the failure of the state investment fund.

“He has taken responsibility by putting a new team in place at 1MDB.

“But just because a few NGOs and the opposition are calling for him to vacate his seat, he shouldn’t do that. That’s too much,” said Rahman, who is also BN strategic communications director. Read more →