The corruption conviction of former Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo excites many Malaysians. While we are clouded by various crises and terrible news: the mother of all scandals 1MDB, weak ringgit, 916 racial slur, the hideous murder of the deputy head of the Attorney-General’s Chambers Appellate and Trial Division, Anthony Kevin Morais and many other, the conviction of Khir Toyo helps to keep our hope and faith alive in Malaysia.
Khir is charged and convicted under Section 165 of Penal Code, for buying two plots of land at Shah Alam at RM3.5 million from the director of Ditamas Sdn Bhd Shamsudin Hayroni while the cost of the land should have been at RM5.5 million.
Section 165 of the Penal Code says that “any public servant, accepts or obtains, for himself or for any other person, any valuable thing, without consideration, or for a consideration which he knows to be inadequate, from any person whom he knows to have been, or to be, or to be likely to be concerned in any proceeding or business transacted, or about to be transacted, by such public servant, or having any connection with the official functions of himself or of any public servant to whom he is subordinate, or from any person whom he knows to be interested in or related to the person so concerned, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years or with fine or with both”.
Purchasing properties worth RM5.5 million at RM3.5 million falls squarely into the definition of graft under Section 165 of the Penal Code.
DAP extends a huge congratulations to the AG’s Chamber for the conviction of Khir Toyo. Next, we want to see AGC pressing a charge against the prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak for receiving RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd.
SRC International was a subsidiary of 1MDB until it was placed under the Finance Ministry in February 2012. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Sarawak Report in July revealed that RM42 million had gone into Najib’s accounts from SRC International Sdn Bhd, who had taken a RM4 billion loan from Retirement Fund Incorporated.
Datuk Seri Najib, who is also a Finance Minister, receiving RM42 million “donation”, from a company wholly owned by Ministry of Finance, is a textbook case of public office holder self-enrichment by channeling public money into private personal account.
We appreciate the effort of AGC for charging an ex Menteri Besar. However, there is a bigger elephant in the room and they cannot pretend not to see it. We await actions from AGC.