It is an utter shame, that next week, The Swiss Parliament (National Council) will be debating and voting on a motion deeply affecting the reputation and economy of Malaysia- with 1MDB being front and centre of the issue, yet the Malaysian Parliament wouldn’t even allow a question to be asked on the matter.
The motion numbered 17. 3547 which reads:
The Federal Council (cabinet) is instructed to repatriate to its country of origin, at least in part, profits unlawfully obtained in third party countries by the Federal Prosecutor’s Office and the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA) in accordance to the procedures of the Illegally Acquired Assets Act (SR 196.1) in the countries concerned.
was moved by Carlo Sommaruga MP of the Swiss Social Democratic Party- to the Swiss Parliament for Repatriation of confiscated illicit funds to the victim populations, is scheduled to be voted on by the Swiss Parliament on the 15th of March.
The motion was triggered by plans to absorb the illicit funds linked to financial crimes involving 1MDB recovered by the Swiss authorities into the Swiss treasury. There is a strong call among the Swiss and Malaysian people for the stolen money to be restituted to the victims of those crimes. It is stated by a Member of the Swiss Parliament’s motion on the matter, that the main victim of those crimes are the not the people of Switzerland but the people of Malaysia.
I therefore, make the following calls to the people, the authorities, and the Parliament of Switzerland, that;
- The Malaysian people are not only victims of financial crimes of Switzerland, but also victims of kleptocratic governance, which must not be doubly punished by being denied the funds that is rightfully owned by the Malaysian people.
- The restitution of the money be done in line with Swiss Federal law recently passed in 2015, called the Federal Law on the Blocking and Restitution of Illegally Acquired Assets of Foreign Politically Exposed Persons Act (SRVG) (SR 196.1). The Swiss Federal council (cabinet) must abide by their own laws by not absorbing the illicit funds. Restitution is the only option- just a matter of how, and to whom, and how much.
- To take cognizance of that fact that Restitution of recovered illicit fund is also part of United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC) as stated in article 35and 53, that victims of crimes of corruption must be compensated. The Malaysian people are – in this case victims that need to be compensated.
We must never allow those in power to silence the voices of ordinary people in the most august chamber of the Malaysian people’s representatives, just to protect a corrupt and crimimal kleptocrat. Whilst MP’s are silenced in the parliament, from highlighting such an important matter- they cannot and will not be silenced elsewhere.
No less, we must not allow our parliament to be muted, when the acts of the corrupt BN government is causing money rightfully owned by Malaysian people to be taken by a foreign government without a fight.
These coming general elections are key to the restoration of our parliamentary democracy- by overthrowing the current electoral autocracy led by Najib Razak and UMNO BN.