MACC’s Silence on A-G Gani Patail is Deafening

 Below is the article from dinmerican's blog together with the comments from the readers.

Ramadan has special significance for Muslims the world over. The Hadith says that the night of Lailatul Qadr, which appears during the last ten nights of Ramadan, is better than a thousand months. Thus most Muslims show heightened piety and many go to Makkah for Umrah in what they think is an act of cleansing during Ramadan.

Also, Muslims who go to Makkah for Haj are expected to return to a more serene blessed life. But, not so for A-G Gani Patail. His Haj Trip with Tajuddin Ramli’s proxy, one Shahidan Shafie, the ex-policeman who was charged for bribery and now turned lawyer and businessman, is anything but serene and blessed. A-G Gani Patail’s Haj became a subject of controversy which has dogged him ever since. Is that an indication of God’s ire?

Self-appointed crusader against social injustice and corruption, Tan Sri Robert Phang , lambasted A-G Gani for inappropriate conduct in consorting with Tajuddin’s proxy at a time when public pressure is mounting why there is no action taken against Tajuddin. Because of that, Phang came under attack and was investigated by the MACC.Something is also obviously wrong when A-G Gani disregarded the investigation report  by former Director CCID, Dato’ Ramli Yusuff, who had made strong recommendations to former PM Abdullah Badawi that Tajuddin should be prosecuted.

AG told to come clean on Ho Hup allegation

Below is the article from malaysiakini web portal together with the comments from the readers.

Following the latest allegation plaguing attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail involving conglomerate Ho Hup Bhd and its former managing director Vincent Lye, a social activist has called on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to act swiftly and investigate the matter.

Former MACC advisory committee member Robert Phang also urged Gani to come clean on the charge made in the blog Malaysia Today and to step down to facilitate investigations."Gani has again courted controversy, this time with a revelation in Malaysia Today on Aug 24. If the allegation is not thoroughly investigated, it will be perceived badly by the rakyat.

"Malaysia Today also produced documentary evidence of what appears to be Gani receiving gratification to take sides in a corporate boardroom tussle in Ho Hup Construction Bhd," Phang said.The MACC on its part must show independence and courage by acting swiftly to investigate this matter.

AG GANI PATAIL: MACC MUST SHOW INDEPENDENCE AND NOT IMPOTENCE

PRESS STATEMENT BY
TAN SRI DATUK ROBERT PHANG. Justice of Peace.
Chairman – Social Care Foundation

                    GREETINGS FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON

 1. AG Gani Patail is again courting controversy by the revelation in Malaysia Today, which appeared on the 24th August 2011. If the allegation is not thoroughly investigated, it will be perceived badly by the Rakyat. Malaysia Today produced documentary evidence of what appears to be AG Gani Patail receiving gratification to take sides in a corporate boardroom tussle in Ho Hup Construction Berhad. Previously, photographs had already surfaced in various blogs of AG Gani Patail with that company’s previous Managing Director, Dato Vincent Lye.

2. This revelation would surely destroy any residual credibility left about the AG Chambers. It appears that criminal prosecution is instituted at the whims and fancies of AG Gani Patail not on the basis of right or wrong but on might is right.

Beng Hock’s family challenges RCI suicide verdict

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 24 — Teoh Beng Hock’s family applied for a judicial review against the royal commission of inquiry’s (RCI) conclusion that the political aide committed suicide in 2009.The application was made at the High Court today.The family’s lawyer Gobind Singh Deo pointed out that there was no testimony on what happened to Teoh, between 3.30am and 7am on July 16, 2009, the crucial hours before he was eventually found dead outside the then Selangor Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) office in Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam.

“If you do not know for sure what happened, how can you come to these findings?” asked Gobind at a press conference after filing the application for leave today.The RCI, which was chaired by sitting Federal Court judge Tan Sri James Foong, found that Teoh was driven to suicide after relentless questioning by anti-graft officers.The five-man panel wrapped up its report on June 15 after having heard testimony from 70 witnesses in its bid to unravel the mysterious circumstances behind Teoh’s death.

Now let’s see what the MACC is going to do

Last year, Malaysia Today revealed Attorney-General Gani Patail’s pilgrimage to Mekah that he and his family performed together with Tajudin Ramli’s proxy, ex-police officer cum lawyer Shahidan Shafee. It was a free Haj trip, paid for by Shahidan.This is what we call corruption in the name of Allah and adds a new dimension to the concept of money laundering. Dirty money, when used to finance your trip to Mekah to perform the Haj, becomes squeaky-clean money.

Is JAKIM going to now come out with a new fatwah regarding whether your Haj trip, paid for with dirty money, is true Haj or bullshit Haj? Or is JAKIM only concerned about whether Muslims wear Santa Claus hats on Christmas Day?

Now, this was not just a wild allegation of 40% truth and 60% lie, as Mukhriz Mahathir would say. Malaysia Today provided Tabung Haji documents that clearly showed they travelled together and shared rooms like one big happy family of Mafia Dons.

Teoh's kin to challenge RCI findings this Wednesday

The family of Teoh Beng Hock will challenge the suicide verdict of the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) this Wednesday.“We will file a judicial review application at the High Court to set aside the RCI's findings,” said Gobind Singh, the counsel for Teoh's family.In the report released last month, the inquiry panel led by federal court judge James Foong concluded that Teoh “was driven to commit suicide by the aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous interrogation” by Malaysia Anti-Corruption Agency (MACC) officers during detention.

Teoh's family rejected the findings, insisting that Teoh was murdered and the government must bear the responsibility.Hence, the family will also file a civil suit against MACC and the government for compensation.Despite calls to charge the MACC officers named in the report as responsible for Teoh's death, MACC only suspended three officers pending an internal investigation.

Govt Will Do Its Best To Improve Electoral System, Says PM

PORT KLANG -- The government will do its best to improve the electoral system in the country, said Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak.He said towards this end, the government had agreed to set up a parliamentary select committee and that this showed its sincerity in wanting elections that were clean and fair.

The Barisan Nasional (BN) government was unafraid of changes to the electoral system as it wanted to ensure that the government of the day was returned by the people's mandate, he told a people's gathering for the breaking of the Ramadan fast at the Sri Perantau apartments here on Wednesday which was attended by some 10,000 people.

PM Announces Parliamentary Select Committee On Electoral Reform

KUALA LUMPUR -- Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak announced on Monday the setting up of a parliamentary select committee on electoral reform to put to rest any suspicion that there is manipulation by the government in the country's electoral process.The prime minister said the committee, comprising government and opposition members, would have its first meeting on Wednesday and would discuss "everything that needs to be done" and reach a consensus on the matter."This is so that we can reach a consensus in facing the next election without any suspicion about any manipulation by the government.

"That is why when the issue of free and fair elections was raised recently, the government's response was for us to tackle the issue which has spawned numerous views, and to a certain extent, disputes," he said in his speech at the breaking-of-the-fast with the media hosted by Bernama at Wisma Bernama, here.He said the move was to dispel any misconception that the government was against a clean electoral process.Najib said the government was committed to continuing the parliamentary democracy tradition that was started by the nation's forefathers.

NAZRI SHOULD STOP LYING AND THE GOVERNMENT STOP COVER UP

PRESS STATEMENT BY
TAN SRI DATUK ROBERT PHANG. Justice of Peace.
Chairman – Social Care Foundation

 1. The public outrage over Dato’ Seri Nazri Aziz’s letter dated 8th August is justified. It is unprecedented and wrong for the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office to direct all Government-Linked Companies (GLCs) to withdraw their civil suits against former MAS Chairman, Tan Sri Tajuddin Ramli. I find it very appalling that a Minister of Nazri’s seniority and status can direct GLCs to withdraw their claims against Tajuddin Ramli which means allowing him to get away with billions of ringgit in debt or RAKYAT MONEY

2. Nazri’s immediate back pedaling by attempting to say that his letter was only an “advice” and not a”directive” or “instruction” by itself shows that Nazri knew that he had made a grave error. Now that Malaysia Today has posted Nazri’s letter, it clearly shows that Nazri had lied. To make a mistake is one thing, but to lie in order to cover up for that mistake makes it worse.

PM: Discussion with Tajudin not a settlement

The prime minister today denied that the government is seeking an out-of-court settlement with former Malaysia Airlines (MAS) chairperson Tajudin Ramli.Instead, Najib Abdul Razak said that the government was merely in an “off-site discussion” with the man alleged to have caused MAS billions of ringgit in losses
“It is still not time for me to comment on it because it's in the process of discussion.“But it can't be misconstrued as a settlement out-of-court... this is a discussion to find a positive solution off- site,” he said after a BN supreme council meeting at the Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur.

He elaborated that an “off-site discussion” is different from a out of court settlement as the “latter implies that a sum is involved”.

'I was not aware of error I made until told about it'

A senior official with the Transport Ministry said he was unaware of a mistake he had made in working out the cost per square feet (psf) for the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) land until he was informed about it last year.P Chandrasekaran,56, a former principal assistant secretary in the ministry's maritime division, told the corruption trial of Dr Ling Liong Sik that until then, he had assumed the RM25psf for the 999.5-acre plot did not include an interest of six percent.

"When did you first realise your understanding was wrong?" asked Ling's lawyer Wong Kian Kheong.

Mat Zain claims A-G interfered with forensic experts

I call on Rakyat to monitor on these issues closely

 
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 11 — Datuk Mat Zain Ibrahim has continued his attacks on Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, claiming today that the Attorney-General has caused the public to lose faith in government inquests and inquiries due to his alleged interference in testimony made by forensic experts.The former city criminal investigation chief said today that Dr Abdul Rahman Yusof, the forensic expert in former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s black-eye probe that Mat Zain had headed, “was willing to prepare three false reports according to orders by Gani Patail.”

“We cannot blame the public if they have lost confidence in government pathology and forensic experts... ridiculing and abusing their opinions in the Teoh Beng Hock inquest and royal commission of inquiry (RCI) and also the inquest of Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamad,” he wrote in an open letter to the Inspector-General of Police.Doubts have been raised over testimony by experts from government hospitals and the Chemistry Department in the recent cases of Teoh and Ahmad Sarbaini, a former DAP aide and senior Customs officer respectively, who both plunged to their deaths at different Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) offices.

PKFZ: Ex-ministry official admits error over land price

An ex-senior transport ministry official in the corruption trial of former transport miniser Dr Ling Liong Sik admitted to having made a mistake in the cost for per square feet (psf) of the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) land.A mere 'confusion' resulted in the special value of RM21psf to be jacked up to RM25, in a letter written to land owner Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) on Oct 2, 2000 by principal assistant secretary in the ministry's maritime division P Chandrasekaran.

“The deputy secretary-general (earlier witness Abdul Rahman Mohd Noor) told me that we have received JJPH (Valuation and Property Service Department) and asked me to send a letter to KDSB, asking for their agreement on the valuation of JPPH,” Chandrasekaran narrated in reply to questions by DPP Manoj Kurup.Chandrasekaran said that he did not know how to write the letter, so he wrote it as it was dictated to him by Abdul Rahman.

PM warns M'sians after London attack

Prime minister has warned his country's citizens in riot-hit London to be on their guard following an attack on a Malaysian student that has sparked worldwide revulsion.Asyraf Haziq Rosli, 20, was sitting dazed on an east London street with a broken jaw after Monday's attack, only to then be robbed a group of people who had been pretending to help him.The episode has gained global attention as an example of the lawlessness on London streets after it was recorded via amateur video and posted on the Internet.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said in a posting on his Twitter account late Wednesday that he was "concerned" by the attack."I hope Malaysians in London and the surrounding areas will be wary and look after their own security," he said.Asyraf had been on his way to buy food to break his daily fast for Ramadan, the month in which Muslims refrain from food and drink in the daylight hours.

'PKA decided on PKFZ project, Ling non-committal'

Former transport minister Dr Ling Liong Sik was not involved in buying the land for the multi-billion ringgit Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) fiasco, said a witness.The Port Klang Authority (PKA) had made its decision to purchase the 999.5 acre plot needed to develop the mega transhipment hub in Pulau Indah but Ling “neither objected nor agreed” to the deal.

Ling's corruption trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court was told that PKA decided on buying the plot for the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project on Dec 12, 2001 but only informed Ling through a letter on Jan 8, 2002.Retired Transport Ministry deputy secretary-general Abdul Rahman Mohd Noor, 61, agreed that Ling had neither raised an objection nor consented to the purchase of the land.

EC deputy chief insists elections free and fair

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 — The Election Commission (EC) has continued to defend the electoral system, stating in a letter published by Utusan Malaysia today that irregularities have “never been proven” and were based on “assumptions and perception.”Deputy EC chief Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar wrote a point-by-point rebuttal to the Umno-owned newspaper, insisting that there has been no proof of phantom voters and that postal votes, campaign periods and media access was fair.“We ask them what is not free and what stage is it that they say is unfair?” Wan Ahmad said.

His defence in the Malay daily comes after two recent public debates with Bersih chief Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan in which he faced a hostile crowd.He had passed the buck on electoral reforms demanded by the coalition of 62 NGOs calling for free and fair elections as they had to be vetted by the Attorney-General before being tabled in Parliament.But in his letter today, Wan Ahmad added that the opposition “claims that elections are unfair based on several assumptions and perception that they have never been able to prove in court through election petitions.”

Bursa bloodbath gives Najib pause on polls

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 10 — With some RM91 billion slashed from the stock market since last Monday (over eight days), Datuk Seri Najib Razak faces yet another global financial meltdown ahead of general elections — due in less than two years.Although the prime minister was said to be mulling snap polls as early as the end of the year, politicians and analysts say that economic factors are now firmly out of his hands, with him hanging on to his Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) projects only for a rebound next year. “These projects are his only defence against the storm clouds on the horizon,” said Jupiter Securities research head Pong Teng Siew, stating that Najib will only go to the ballot boxes after the ETP bites.

PKA inked PKFZ deal before official Cabinet nod, says witness

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 9 — The Port Klang Authority (PKA) bought Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) land from Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) before the port regulators were officially notified of the Cabinet’s consent for the purchase, Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik’s graft trial heard today.Datuk Abdul Rahman Mohd Noor, a former deputy secretary-general for planning in the Transport Ministry, told the High Court that the sales and purchase agreement was signed on November 12, 2002, but PKA only received an official extract of the Cabinet decision on November 20, 2002.

He also said the sales and purchase agreement was not revealed to the PKA board before it was signed by then-PKA chairman Tan Sri Dr Ting Chew Peh and witnessed by then-PKA general manager OC Phang.
Abdul Rahman, 61, who had been in the civil service for three decades, added that Phang signed an offer letter to KDSB on November 6, 2002, which was the same day that the Cabinet gave the green light for the purchase.“This RM1.088 billion agreement... as a board member, would an agreement like this usually need board approval?” asked deputy public prosecutor Datuk Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah.“Yes, it would,” answered Abdul Rahman.

Despite Dr M’s okay, Cabinet delayed land purchase deal for PKFZ

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 — Despite then-Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s green light, his Cabinet decided in October 2002 to postpone buying land in Pulau Indah for the mammoth Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project after the Finance Ministry (MoF) objected to the deal, the High Court was told today. However, the Port Klang Authority (PKA) inked a sales and purchase agreement with Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) which had won the government deal to be its main contractor a month later on November 12, 2002.The MoF was said to prefer that the government compulsorily acquire the land rather than buy it back, a former Transport Ministry official who had been heavily involved in the negotiations testified in the ongoing trial of his then-boss Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik.

Tee Keat vows to defend seat

KUALA LUMPUR: Former MCA president Ong Tee Keat said he will defend his Pandan parliamentary seat with or without the party leadership’s endorsement.Continuing his attacks on MCA president Dr Chua Soi Lek, the Pandan MP claimed that MCA’s top brass were working on pitting him against his allies in a bid to solicit support for the current leadership.Ong suggested that the move was aimed at forcing him to withdraw his candidacy for the Pandan seat.“Of late, MCA sources have again been at work, deliberately rekindling the speculation of MCA’s choice of candidate for Pandan.

Sodomy II: Anwar can call Najib, Rosmah subject to their consent

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 — The High Court has allowed Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s applications to call 15 key witnesses in his sodomy trial, including the prime minister and his wife, on the condition that they agree to be interviewed.Judge Datuk Mohd Zabidin Mohd Diah said today it was the prosecution’s responsibility to provide witnesses as the defence has the right to interview them but stressed that it was up to the witnesses whether they agreed to be interviewed.Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor have said they will skip interviews for Anwar’s sodomy trial unless subpoenaed.

 

Najib and Rosmah, along with former Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan and former Malacca police chief Datuk Mohd Rodhwan Mohd Yusof, are four key witnesses expected to snub the trial unless compelled to appear.Interviews are usually conducted to determine whether a witness will be called to testify in a trial.It is also understood that another witness, Hasanuddin Abdul Hamid, said he will only agree to be interviewed if his lawyer was present.

PKA Was In Deficit And Could Not Afford Land For PKFZ, High Court Told

KUALA LUMPUR -- The Port Klang Authority (PKA) had no financial standing to purchase the 830 acres of land in Mukim Klang for the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) project, the High Court here was told on Thursday.Former Ministry of Transport deputy secretary-general (Planning) Abdul Rahman Mohd Noor, 61, said the Ministry had suggested acquiring the land and leasing it to PKA as the authority's finances were unstable."PKA could not afford the land as it lacked funds and if it had gone ahead, its financial situation would have deteriorated," Abdul Rahman told Deputy Public Prosecutor Tun Abd Majid Tun Hamzah during examination-in-chief.

Thumbs up to EC's proposal to allow M'sians abroad to vote

The Election Commission's (EC) proposal to study the possibility of allowing Malaysians abroad to vote in the next general election has received positive reaction.Several Malaysian students and workers overseas said that the proposal, if implemented, would enable them to discharge their duties, as Malaysian citizens, to vote and choose the government as stipulated in the federal constitution.However, they stressed that it should be implemented properly to ensure that it would not be manipulated by any party.

 

A student of University of Nottingham, United Kingdom, Anita Adnan, 39, said all processes should be carried out in an honest and transparent manner.The final year doctoral student said the problem in handling scattered voting was that it might be possible to manipulate the ballot box and even the number of votes."It has to be carried out systematically and carefully controlled. Otherwise, let's not bother," she told Bernama when contacted through her social website.

Dr M to testify at Dr Ling’s trial

KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad will be called as a witness at the trial of former transport minister Dr Ling Liong Sik in the RM1.08 billion cheating case relating to the Port Klang Free Trade Zone (PKFZ).The issue of calling Mahathir to testify came up after deputy public prosecutor Tun Abd Majid Tun Hamzah who is leading the prosecution team, questioned second witness Sahari Mahadi on a letter dated June 29, 2002, written by Ling to Mahathir, the prime minister at that time.After the question was posted to Sahari, former director of the Shah Alam Valuation and Property Services Department (VPSD), Tun Abd Majid told judge Ahmadi Asnawi who presided over the trial that the prosecution would call the former prime minister as a witness relating to the letter.

Sarbaini's death 'accidental', says pathologist

The forensic pathologist who did the initial autopsy on the body of Ahmad Sarbaini Mohamad concluded that his death was caused by an “accidental fall from height”.“I find his fall to have been accidental as there were no signs of homicidal or suicidal tendencies,” Dr Faridah Mohd Noor of UKM Hospital's forensics department said on the eleventh day of the inquest into the customs officer's death.She explained to presiding coroner Aizatul Akmal Maharahi, that there were neither defensive wounds on the former Selangor Customs Department assistant director, nor any signs of a struggle to signify it was a homicide.

Suicide was also ruled out as there was no suicide note, hesitation wounds (incisions into the skin indicating attempted suicide), or the presence of alcohol or drugs in the bloodstream of the deceased.The actual cause of death, explained the doctor, was from massive injuries to the head and what she referred to as positional asphyxia, or choking due to an obstruction to the nose and mouth or nose because a person was put into an uncomfortable position.She said her cursory examination on the scene found that copious amounts of blood had flowed out of Sarbaini's nose, mouth, eyes and left ear, indicative of massive trauma to the head.

Land Valuation By KDSB Was Higher, Says Witness

KUALA LUMPUR -- A witness in the trial involving former Transport Minister Dr Ling Liong Sik told the High Court here on Monday that the land valuation made by a representative from Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) was higher than hers.Former assistant director of valuation, Valuation and Property Services Department (VPSD), Ministry of Finance, Teo Lee Lee, said that KDSB, through Azmi & Company, set the value at RM29 per sq ft for a 830 acre site in the mukim of Klang.

She said her valuation for land with basic infrastructure, like road, was RM17 per sq ft and RM13 per sq ft if it did not have such a facility."I used to go to this area, only 500 acres of the swamp area had been filled," said the retiree.Teo is the first prosecution witness to testify in the trial of Dr Ling who is charged with cheating the Malaysian government by deliberately concealing from the Cabinet the additional interest rate of 7.5 per cent a year on the purchase price of a piece of land based on RM25 per sq ft, which was RM1,088,456,000, when he knew that the VPSD had taken into account the coupon/interest rate when the rate was fixed.

Liong Sik's PKFZ trial begins today

The RM1.08-billion Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) corruption trial involving former transport minister Dr Ling Liong Sik began in the Kuala Lumpur High Court today.The trial is being heard before High Court Judge Ahmadi Asnawi and it is expected to hear the testimonies of 40 witnesses.

Ling was charged on July 29 last year of cheating the government of Malaysia by misleading the Cabinet on a land acquisition for the mega-distribution hub project in Port Klang.Ling is alleged to have deceived the cabinet into agreeing to the terms of purchase between Kuala Dimensi Sdn Bhd (KDSB) and Port Klang Authority (PKA) and giving its approval for the purchase.

He is said to have committed the deception with the knowledge that it could cause wrongful losses to the government and despite being bound by a fiduciary duty to protect the government.The charge, under Section 418 of the Penal Code, carries a maximum sentence of seven years imprisonment or fine or both upon conviction.Ling faces an alternative charge of similar cheating for deliberately concealing facts related to the project from the cabinet.

The charge, under Section 417 of the Penal Code, is punishable by imprisonment of up to five years or fine or both upon conviction.Ling is alleged to have committed the offences between Sept 25, 2002, and Nov 6, 2002 at the fourth floor of the Prime Minister's Office at the Perdana Putra building in Putrajaya.Ling has pleaded not guilty to both counts.Deputy Public Prosecutors Tun Abdul Majid Tun Hamzah and Manoj Kurup are appearing for the prosecution while Ling is represented by counsel Wong Kian Kheong.