Former Malaysian premier Mahathir sues PM Najib over 'abuse of power'
Mahathir Mohamad’s lawsuit demands Najib pay damages over missing millions and accuses him of trying to obstruct investigations into the case
Malaysia’s prime minister Najib Razak has denied any wrongdoing. Photograph: Olivia Harris/Reuters
Oliver Holmes in Bangkok
Wednesday 23 March 2016 18.34 AEDT Last modified on Wednesday 23 March 2016 18.36 AEDT
Former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad is suing the current premier Najib Razak for corruption and misfeasance in public office, according to a statement from his law firm.
Mahathir, 90, who served for more than two decades, has led the charge against his former protégé who has faced corruption allegations that are linked to the debt-laden state fund 1 Malaysia .. http://www.theguardian.com/world/malaysia .. Development Bhd (1MDB).
Mahathir and two of his allies, former members of the ruling United Malay National Organisation (UMNO) party that Najib now heads, are seeking a high court order for the country’s leader to pay millions of pounds in damages.
The lawsuit on Wednesday accused Najib of “carrying out various steps that were actively and deliberately taken in bad faith.”
Mahathir also accused Najib of trying to “obstruct, interfere, impede and derail the various investigations and inquiries which were being conducted by various legal enforcement agencies”.
Najib has vigorously denied that he pocketed $681m (£479m) from 1MDB. This year, Malaysia’s attorney general cleared him of any criminal offences, saying the millions transferred into Najib personal bank account was a gift from the royal family in Saudi Arabia .. http://www.theguardian.com/world/saudiarabia .. and not from 1MDB.
Known as the “Father of modern Malaysia”, Mahathir has also criticised Najib’s government for arbitrary arrests and a media crackdown, similar to accusations that where lobbied against him during his time in office from 1981 to 2003.
Mahathir has called for a vote of no confidence against Najib in parliament, which has not materialised, and also attended in person an anti-government rally last year in downtown Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia’s minister of communications Salleh Said Keruak told the Guardian in a statement on Wednesday that the lawsuit shows Mahathir “ is clutching at straws.”
“Tun Mahathir tried to topple the prime minister through UMNO. He failed,” he said, using the honorific title. “Tun Mahathir tried a parliamentary vote of no confidence. He failed. Now Tun Mahathir is trying to sue. His accusations are false, so he will fail yet again.”
“Tun Mahathir has run out of options. This action shows that he has no political channels left.”
1MDB was launched in 2009 by Najib, who still chairs its advisory board. Critics say it has been opaque in explaining its dealings. Several international investigation are investigating 1MDB.
Mr Najib has denied all wrongdoing after reports that almost $700m (£450m) were transfered into his personal account
Malaysians are no strangers to money politics but the high-profile players and the amount of funds allegedly involved in the so-called "1MDB scandal" have gripped the nation. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33447456
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‘I will resolve 1MDB issue’
by cecilia kok
Thursday, 24 March 2016
[VIDEO:] : 15:44
More in News.. if interested all worth a quick peek ..
KUALA LUMPUR: Bank Negara’s outgoing governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz has promised to use her remaining 38 days in office to resolve the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) issue before handing over the reins to her successor.
“I want closure on the 1MDB case, as I want the new governor to start with a clean slate ... and not have to deal with the matter that happened during my time,” Zeti said.
The central bank has commenced administrative enforcement actions against 1MDB for failure to submit documentary evidence pertaining to the state fund’s inability to repatriate the US$1.83bil (RM7.16bil) it had used abroad.
In relation to the central bank’s action against 1MDB, Dr Zeti said the Federal Government-owned fund had not fully complied with the central bank’s directive on repatriating the funds.
“So we are pursuing appropriate administrative enforcement action as allowed to us by the laws under which Bank Negara operates,” Dr Zeti told reporters after her last presentation of Bank Negara’s annual report here yesterday.
1MDB, in an immediate response, reiterated that it had fully cooperated with the central bank in the past 12 months.
“We highlight that 1MDB has fully cooperated to the extent possible with Bank Negara’s investigations, including providing documentary evidence where available.”
Bank Negara had, in August 2015, revoked three permissions granted to 1MDB under the Exchange Control Act 1953 (ECA) for investments abroad totalling US$1.83bil (RM7.3bil) and issued a directive under the Financial Services Act 2013 to 1MDB to repatriate the sum to Malaysia.
The central bank also recommended criminal action against 1MDB.
But in September last year, the Attorney-General (A-G) cleared 1MDB of any wrongdoing, and said no further action should be taken against the debt-ridden fund.
Zeti conceded that the proposed administrative enforcement actions, which could result in either a penalty or compound against 1MDB, would still require the A-G’s endorsement.
Zeti, who officially retires at the end of April after 35 years with the central bank, also outlined the qualities of her successor.
She said the next central bank chief would need to command the respect of the people and the markets besides having to manage monetary and financial stability at a volatile time for the global economy.
“Not anybody can be appointed to the position,” she said, adding that candidates must have extensive knowledge, especially in the current volatile economic environment.
Several names have emerged as possible successors, with Bank Negara’s most senior deputy governor Datuk Muhammad Ibrahim, a career central banker, reckoned as the internal candidate of choice.
Besides him, the names of three others have been speculated as possible successors – the Minister in charge of economic planning in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Wahid Omar, Malaysian ambassador to the United States Datuk Awang Adek Hussin, and the secretary-general of the Treasury at the Finance Ministry Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah. http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/03/24/i-will-resolve-1mdb-issue/
Malaysian move toward harsher Islamic law divides opposition
Wed Mar 18, 2015 3:20am EDT
KUALA LUMPUR | By Al-Zaquan Amer Hamzah and Trinna Leong
A worker cleans an Islamic plaque of calligraphy saying ''Mohammad'' on the morning of Eid al-Fitr in a mosque in Kota Bharu, in Malaysia's northeastern state of Kelantan in this January 8, 2000 file photo. Reuters/Staff/Files
Calls by Malaysia's Islamist opposition party for strict Islamic law that includes amputations and stonings is symptomatic of a drift to more conservative Islam in politics and could further strain relations in the multi-ethnic country.
The push by the Islamist Parti Islam se-Malaysia (PAS) for the laws, known as hudud, also threatens to split a fragile opposition coalition that has been challenging the long-ruling Muslim party and its allies.
The disparate three-party opposition alliance that includes PAS won the popular vote for the first time in Malaysia's history in a 2013 election.
While the ruling United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) and its partners still won the most seats, they are more determined than ever to hold on to power which they have enjoyed since independence in 1957.
In February, the opposition alliance's leader, Anwar Ibrahim, was jailed for five years on a sodomy charge he said was cooked up to finish him politically and foil the opposition challenge.
Any lingering hope the alliance could hold together without Anwar looks doomed with the PAS bent on implementing hudud law in Kelantan state, which it controls.
Anwar's People's Justice Party and the allied ethnic-Chinese Democratic Action Party (DAP) have rejected the hudud proposal and warned that it could mean the end of their Pakatan Rakyat alliance.
"Pakatan would be pushed to a breaking point," DAP leader Lim Kit Siang told Reuters on Tuesday.
Most states in Malaysia implement sharia, the Islamic legal system, but its reach is restricted by federal law.
Hudud stipulates ancient religious punishments for Muslims who violate the law.
"Hudud is a part of the religion. As Muslims, when we are given the mandate as government, it is our responsibility to carry out these laws," said senior PAS leader Nik Amar Abdullah, who is also Kelantan's deputy chief minister.
PAS tabled amendments to introduce hudud in the Kelantan assembly on Wednesday. Media said the amendments stipulated punishments such as impalement and crucifixion for various crimes, and the execution of apostates.
Anxious to be seen just as pious as its opponents, UMNO has not opposed the push for hudud.
'EGG SHELLS'
UMNO and its allies suffered at the 2013 election because of the desertion of ethnic Chinese voters but also because many urban dwellers, including Muslim Malays, rejected the ruling bloc.
UMNO has responded by burnishing its Islamic credentials, aiming to gain ground among Malays who make up 60 percent of the 30 million population. Ethnic Chinese make up 25 percent and ethnic Indians about 7 percent.
Prime Minister Najib Razak, a self-described moderate, has been dogged by criticism from his party since the electoral setback and has tried to bolster support with concessions to conservatives, rolling back reforms and stressing UMNO's role as protector of Islam.
"The danger is some people looking at Islam as being the same to Malay-ness or Malay rights," said Ibrahim Suffian, director of Merdeka Center, an independent pollster.
A reluctance to criticize has allowed the political influence of Islam to grow.
"We see politicians treading on egg shells with the religious authorities," said law professor Azmi Sharom.
Jamil Khir Baharom, minister in charge of state religious authorities tasked with protecting Islamic values, said the government was extending the scope of sharia over the judiciary, the Bernama state news agency reported recently.
"They have genuine fear that the position of Islam in the constitution is being threatened," said Wan Saiful Wan Jan, head of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs.
"It's a reaction to society becoming more plural, more progressive, more modern."
The drive for tougher Islamic law has affected the lives of many, often in surprising ways.
In one high-profile case, three transgender women launched a legal challenge in 2011 against state Islamic laws that prohibit men from dressing or posing as women in public. [ID: nL4N0SX2V7]
Their challenge was derided by the public.
One of the trio told Reuters in her fist interview in three years that she had changed her name and appearance several times to avoid persecution.
"They make me feel like a criminal," said the 28-year-old Muslim who now calls herself Anis.
"We don't want to go against God or Islam. We just want freedom to wear what we want and be who we are."
Other incidents highlighting the influence of sharia included state Islamic authorities interrupting the funeral of a Chinese woman, insisting on a Muslim burial because the woman had allegedly converted to Islam.
In another incident, officials stopped a Hindu wedding and took the bride away for questioning after a tip-off she was Muslim.
"If we look at the constitution, it puts Islam as the federal religion. As a result, sharia has to be upheld and in fact, it has to be strengthened," said Mohamad Shukri Mohamad, Kelantan's top Islamic scholar.
Hudud law will only apply to Muslims in Kelantan, says Zahid By
KOI KYE LEE - 26 May 2016 @ 6:57 PM
KUALA LUMPUR: The bill for Pas to implement hudud law is only applicable to Muslims in Kelantan.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the bill was not geared towards making new laws but it was to deal with powers involving the Syariah courts to implement Islamic law in Kelantan.
"It is only to upgrade the Syariah courts; the laws apply only to Muslims," said Zahid, who is also Home Minister, after chairing the National Water Resources Council meeting in Parliament today.
Pas president Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang had submitted a Private Member's Bill to amend the Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) (Amendment) 2016.
The motion to debate the bill was passed. However, Hadi had requested for the debate to be postponed to the next parliament sitting that will commence in October. 1699 reads
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