LONDON CONNECTION – How Plan To Appoint Taib Might Taint Agong |
| LONDON CONNECTION – How Plan To Appoint Taib Might Taint Agong Posted: 13 Feb 2014 05:14 PM PST   Will the Agong also be asked to appoint Taib Governor? There is a two week window of opportunity that has just opened up for Malaysia's Prime Minister to do something about his most embarrassing international liability, the Chief Minister of Sarawak, Abdul Taib Mahmud. The scandal-torn kleptocrat has formally handed in his resignation, due to come into effect at the end of this short month on 28th February, but fully intends to keep control of the state. In a stunningly dictatorial move, Taib named his own successor, his aged relative Adenan Satem, without a murmur of dissent from his poodle of a party, PBB. And he has simultaneously made clear that he fully expects the Agong, on the advice of the Prime Minister, to appoint him Governor at some stage over the coming days. Nevertheless, for the first time in years, he faces a moment of dangerous uncertainty, pending that official announcement. Najib should not miss this chance. He should make his move and chop Taib's shameful head while it is on the block. And the Prime Minister's deafening silence on the subject so far is a clear indication he's thinking about it. Politics is about being ruthless for the greater good when the moment requires it. Fights behind the scenes? There is a timeline of events that suggests that Taib's planned smooth transition has been going anything but. First, he disappeared from sight as the rumours of his announcement reached their crescendo. Then he re-emerged with a declaration that yes he would resign, but would name his own successor, signalling at the same time his planned move to the Governor's office and business as usual. PBB started clapping over in Sarawak, but the muted response in KL indicated lack of enthusiasm. Was Najib being bounced or even defied? Next, on Monday it was reported that the Home Minister and Inspector General of Police came to visit Taib in Kuching. The reason given was to discuss arrangements for the as yet un-called next election. How strange at such a time! Was the MACC corruption investigation possibly another matter on their agenda? Soon after this meeting Taib took the initiative and appointed his frail and elderly relative to follow him as Chief Minister. just hours before Deputy PM Muhyiddin arrived, most likely with a separate recommendation. Was he making sure to act before Najib had a say? It took several hours, indeed a full day before Najib moved to applaud the appointment of Satem. After all his Government's own known preferred choice was the relatively untainted Abang Johari. As, for Taib's intention to be made Governor before the end of the month, well nothing has so far been said about that. A rare moment for decisive action  Time to end the geritocracy (rule of the elderly) What if Najib at last makes his own move instead of confirming Taib's ambitions? It is time to get rid of Sarawak's old man and this is one of those rare moments where Najib can intervene to change the balance of power. Only he can do it and he himself would be the biggest winner. Paralysed politicians in Sarawak have acted as mere by-standers while this long-anticipated series of events have played out, as if the whole procedure had nothing to do with them and they had no responsibility to be involved in the selection of the leader of their state. The fact that the state looks set to now be governed by two ancient relatives, with not a single representative of the Iban population within a sniff of a top job, has barely been commented upon so far.  Celebrating 50 years of independence and 50 years of Taib in government! Indeed, the whole process has been conducted in an atmosphere of total resignation on the part of the people of Sarawak, used to the fact that Taib controls everything and the Federal Government has done nothing about it for decades. It is assumed a deal has been done and that Najib and the Agong will shortly play their part and officially appoint Taib to the position he openly coverts. But, if Najib complies, the old dictator will return strengthened, able to effectively continue running the State from the Governor's office, while manoeuvring his son (or possibly his daughter, the ambitious Hanifah) into his vacated Balingian seat, ready in time to lead PBB into the state election in a couple of years time. His frail brother in law can then be pushed aside, job done.  Man from the past – Satem was a relative and key ally way back in the Ming Court affair, a rare person Taib trusts. But, there is a gap in the process, which has just opened up. Taib has just gone from being the most powerful politician in Malaysia to a man who is utterly reliant on Najib to play his part in that deal and appoint him to the post. Taib's future is suddenly dangling by a thread, so why does Najib not just take the golden opportunity to take his scissors and snip? So what if there was a deal? That's politics! A better future without Taib Najib's duty is to the people and not to the dirty old dictator, Taib Mahmud. There are ten thousand better and less tainted candidates, whom Najib could choose to take on the role of Governor, instead of the country's most corrupted politician and the clamour is starting to grow. Not least because of that small matter of an on-going MACC investigation into Taib's years of blatant corruption, where the dogged, 'naughty' investigators have been refusing to drop their enquiries. PKR's Director of Strategy, Rafizi Ramli has now announced he is demanding a formal statement from the MACC on the status of that on-going enquiry and the opposition party is insisting that Taib cannot be appointed as Governor if that taint of suspicion remains hanging over him. If Najib nevertheless bottles it and once again appoints Taib, the local despot will return strengthened and untouchable, with a son or daughter ready to perpetuate the dynasty of the White Haired Rajahs over the poor people of the State. And the PM will remain weak compared to Taib the 'king-maker', commanding all those federal seats and the balance of power. Even the Agong stands to be tainted by Taib's proposed promotion  Taib son Rahman Sulaiman arriving at Hampshire House And there is another issue, which is that Taib taints everyone he associates with. Sarawak Report can reveal that even the country's highly respected Agong (King) could be placed in an embarrassing position, were he required to appoint Taib as Governor at the end of the month. Because there are clear questions to be asked over the relationship between himself and the wealthy chief minister, concerning the arrangement in place regarding the Taib family's favourite bolt hole in London, a grandiose mansion flat in at Hyde Park Place. Sarawak Report revealed some years ago that Hampshire House is frequently visited by the Taib family, who use it as their regular London base – family members dropping in and out all year round. The Taib's clearly utilise Flat 5 on the ground floor, which is registered under the name of the Agong. This begs the question whether there is any tenancy arrangement between the Agong and Taib over this valuable asset? Is, for example, Taib or one of his family members renting the place off the Agong? If so, are they paying the going rate of £26,000 (RM144,000) a month/ £6,000 a week, which was the eye-watering rental price recently advertised for the flat just above?  Named on the 120 year lease [ie ownership record of the flat] The Agong's interest in Flat 5 Hampshire House, London property register
Sarawak Report has also separately photographed Taib's other son, Rahman Sulaiman being chauffeur-driven to the same property. Whether or not the Taibs have been paying the enormous rent, which the flat is clearly worth to the Agong, the situation puts the King in an awkward position with respect to the tainted politician, who is now expecting him to appoint him as Governor.  Taib is best kept at a distance from the Agong It would be better if the respected Agong was not required by the Prime Minister to appoint such a questionable figure and if Taib were consigned to a long overdue retirement as the investigations close in around him.  |
| MONEY TRAIL – New Document Links Taib To Japanese Timber Scandal! Posted: 11 Feb 2014 07:02 PM PST   Follow the money – from Laila, Sulaiman and Abu Bekir and Richfold Investments to Sakto's Sean Murray through Jamilah Taib On the eve of Taib's bid to escape into the supposed immunity of the governor's office, Sarawak Report can reveal an astonishing new document that clearly links him to the Japanese timber export scandal that broke in 2007. The scandal involved millions of ringgit that were paid by Japanese timber exporters from Sarawak to a Hong Kong company called Regent Star Company Limited, totalling RM32million over the preceding seven years. At the time Taib had made a highly unusual personal declaration in the Sarawak Assembly, distancing himself from any involvement whatsoever in the matter and saying that he had no knowledge or connection with Regent Star, which was controlled by his own brother Onn Mahmud. The Chief Minister declared:
However, documents unearthed in Canada by the Swiss NGO the Bruno Manser Fund show a clear connection between Taib's own wife and the company, involving the transfer of funds from Hong Kong to his daughter Jamilah's private property business in Ottawa, Sakto Corporation.  Sakto's Sean Murray in receipt of a $20million loan from Taib's wife and Regent Star's twin company, Richfold Investments Limited The documents relate to a $20million dollar mortgage loan by Jamilah herself to Sakto, which is money described as being "held in trust" by her and owing to "persons who with the consent of Jamilah H Taib lend money to Sakto". Jamilah's husband, Sean Murray, a Director and Secretary of Sakto, is the named recipient of the loan and the persons named as having lent the money are Taib's then wife, Laila Taib; her two sons Abu Bekir and Suleman; their company Sogo; Onn Mahmud and the company Richfold Investment Limited, which was a sister company of Regent Star, incorporated on the same day at the same address with the same directors.  Jamilah is the 'chargee' (lender) of the money 'in trust' for her family members and the company Richfold. [see the full document here] The document, which is available on public record in Ontario, Canada, therefore makes a clear link with the company Regent Star, which was receiving millions in payments from the Japanese shipping cartel to 'broker' export licences issued by Onn Mahmud, and Taib's family investments in Canada.  Among Canada's wealthiest socialites – Sean and Jamilah Taib-Murray. But where did the money come from? This link existed long before the scandal broke in 2007. It begs the question why the Chief Minister denied all knowledge of a company that was tied up in a massive $20million dollar loan involving his own wife and kids? The loan also undermines Taib's constant earlier denials that Sakto has received on-going funding from him. After Sarawak Report exposed the connection, Taib acknowledged he 'gave some money' to get his daughter started' back in 1983 and no more. Now, he will have to explain the $20million injected into Sakti in 1996 by his wife and sons, after years of boasting that his children had done so well merely because they were cleverer than other people. Perhaps the Chief Minister would also care to account for Jamilah's own explanation of the business model of her company back in 1989, when she acknowledged in a newspaper interview that it was an investment tool for Pacific Rim businessmen with 'big money'?
When she referred to the Chairman of her company of investors 'who flies in from Malaysia twice a year' could Jamilah have been referring to the regular visits of her father Taib Mahmud to Canada or was it merely his brother Onn, who was so closely linked to his wife and sons in these investments? Richfold Investment Limited and Regent Star  Nominal shareholder in Onn's companies? – Shea Kin Kowk receives a golfing prize. Taib Mahmud should now answer the pressing questions over where all this money was coming from, before there should be any question of him being appointed to the position of Governor of Sarawak. Because the links between his wife's loan to Jamilah and money flowing from Japan to "broker" shipping licences are now established and it needs to be made clear that the money is not one and the same. And, if Taib's family were not investing this kickback money where on earth were they getting such enormous funds, given his own modest salary as Chief Minister at the time? Records show that Regent Star Company Limited and Richfold Investment Limited were both incorporated in Hong Kong by his brother Onn Mahmud's then secretary, Shea Kin Kwok on 22 November 1983 at the same address. Whereas Shea is the stated shareholder of Regent Star however, the shareholder and Director of Richfold Investment is Onn himself. It was noted by the Japanese Tax Tribunal that the companies were incorporated shortly before "brokerage payments" started to be paid to Regent Star, under a contract signed with the Japanese shipping cartel to assist in the issuing of timber export licences. In a clear conflict of interest Onn's company Achipelago had been appointed by Taib's administration to control the issuing of timber export licences to these shipping companies, although in his speech to the State Parliament Taib said the decision had nothing to do with him or the state government agency responsible for licensing, the SEDC.  Onn Mahmud owned Richfold, however it was his secretary Shea Kin Kwok who was the named Director and shareholder along with another Onn employee of the twin company Regent Star The Japanese Tax Authorities also noted that investigations showed there was very little paperwork to indicate that Regent Star was doing much of the normal brokering activity that might merit payments of millions of ringgit. However the later Appeal Tribunal came to the conclusion that there was no proof that Regent Star was not providing brokerage between the exporters and Onn and so allowed the payments to remain untaxed. Given that Sarawak Report has subsequently learnt that Shea was Onn's Hong Kong secretary and direct employee, it is now clear that Onn was effectively charging brokerage fees amounting to 1billion yen to negotiate with himself. The Japanese investigators, on the other hand, had merely acknowledged that the ties between Onn and Regent Star seemed extremely close – to the extent that on one occasion the shipping companies even sent payments to Onn and to Regent Star in the same wire transfer to Shea Kin Kwok! Not merely a matter of tax Sarawak Report now has a full translation of the of the Japanese tax hearings, which will be presented along with other findings at a press conference in Tokyo shortly. However, although the issue for Japanese tax investigators was merely focused on whether Japanese companies should have been paying tax on these particular payments, for Sarawakians and Malaysians the matter is very different. Malaysians are entitled to know whether profits from the rampant logging sanctioned by Taib were being correctly channelled back into the public purse or were being secretly siphoned off in Hong Kong by his own family members. And they are entitled to know if the money from Regent Star was flowing through Richfold into the Taib family investments in Canada and beyond. Hong Kong web of companies fed money to Taib family properties in North America  Hong Kong web – links to US investments and to Japan payments Regent Star and Richfold are just two of a web of companies managed by Shea Kin Kwok during his period working as Onn Mahmud's secretary in Hong Kong. These include Grand Shine and Herolite Investment, which had shares in Onn's conglomorate Achijaya Corporation, Whittaker Company, Grand Will, Icharaku and also a company called Natalite Investment. And, as this site has already reported, another set of fingerprints also link the Taib family's North American companies with these Hong Kong concerns. As recently as 2006 Taib's children, who are shareholders in Sakto's own sister company Sakti which holds properties in the US (including the FBIs offices in Seattle's Abraham Lincoln Building) filed a tax return that giving Natalite in Hong Kong as their contact address. Until the Chief Minister has provided a full explanation of what was going on the situation makes a scandal out of any decision to elevate him to the Governor's office. |
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