The then Batu Kawan Umno deputy chief Khairuddin Abu Hassan filed a police report against 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) on 12 December 2014 asking for a “detailed and comprehensive” investigation against the company.
I had personally filed another police report against 1MDB on 4 March 2015 seeking the same, supported with detailed information and allegations provided by the Sarawak Report.
In particular, I had sought the Royal Malaysian Police to investigate the principal protagonists behind 1MDB which has accumulated in excess of RM42 billion of debt in just 5 years.
The parties named in the report on the massive financial scandal included Penangite, Low Taek Jho (Jho Low), former 1MDB CEO, Datuk Shahrol Halmi and the Prime Minister, Dato’ Seri Najib Razak.
It has been alleged that Jho Low was masterminding the transactions behind the joint venture between 1MDB and little-known Petrosaudi International Limited. This has led to at least US$700 million from 1MDB being misappropriated to Good Star Limited, a company controlled by Jho Low.
Alleged email communications have shown that Datuk Shahrol Halmi hand on the other hand, authorized the above transactions with the approval from the Prime Minister, who is also the Minister of Finance, Dato’ Seri Najib Razak.
If the above public allegations are true, and they have yet to be specifically refuted by any of the parties above, then it is a brazen and heinous crime against the Malaysian Government and its tax-payers. The scale of embezzlement may be the largest ever in Malaysia’s financial history.
However, as of today, months after the police reports have been filed, the Police has yet to lift their fingers to question Jho Low. Jho Low himself, has admitted to the international media that the Malaysian authorities have not attempted at all to seek his assistance with the above investigation.
It is depressing to learn that while the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) can be so ruthlessly efficient with investigating harmless tweets by opposition leaders, civil society activist, academics and even the ordinary man on the street, but is so tardy in taking any action against someone who could have robbed Malaysian tax-payers of billions of ringgit.
We would like to find out if Jho Low is a specially protected person who cannot be arrested or questioned? And is Jho Low untouchable because he is well-known to have a cosy relationship with Dato’ Seri Najib Razak and his family members?
Does he still deserve the protection with the recent blood-thirsty howls from UMNO leaders themselves? If even the leaders like the UMNO Youth Chief, Khairy Jamaluddin as well as UMNO Pulau Pinang, the state where Jho Low originated from, has demanded that the latter be investigated immediately, then surely, the IGP must pay heed to ensure the crooks behind the heinous crimes are made to pay for their crimes.
We call upon the Royal Malaysian Police to stop dallying and carry out their investigations with the necessary urgency without fear or favour.