ڬوان اڠ، تومماي تومس بنتو تايكون ءچوچيء دانا حرام بركايت 1مدب؟
A news report that went viral earlier today points to an element of power abuse on the part of former Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and former Attorney-General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas.
Accordingly, Lim is said to have asked the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to lift restrictions on the bank accounts of a prominent property tycoon, frozen over some RM4 million worth of transactions in 1MDB-linked funds.
In just two weeks, Lim received a “positive response” from Thomas, who thereafter ordered the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to “unfreeze” all four bank accounts.
Thomas is said to have done this despite the MACC informing him that the bulk of the money – some RM3.9 million – could not be recovered as it was no longer in one of the accounts where the money allegedly ended.
PETALING JAYA: A news report that went viral earlier today points to an element of power abuse on the part of former Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng and former Attorney-General Tan Sri Tommy Thomas.
Accordingly, Lim is said to have asked the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to lift restrictions on the bank accounts of a prominent property tycoon, frozen over some RM4 million worth of transactions in 1MDB-linked funds.
Comparisons were quickly made with Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s stepson, Riza Aziz. According to the report, Lim’s ‘personal request’ to Thomas was made despite him knowing that authorities failed to recover a bulk of the money that ended in the tycoon’s accounts.
Riza, on the other hand, was given a discharge not amounting to an acquittal, by the court of law, provided only that he returned part of the money he received from the same fund linked to the tycoon.
The news portal that published the report, Free Malaysia Today, claims to have sighted details of Lim’s alleged exchanges with Thomas.
According to the portal, in just two weeks, Lim received a “positive response” from Thomas, who thereafter ordered the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to “unfreeze” all four bank accounts.
Thomas is said to have done this despite the MACC informing him that the bulk of the money – some RM3.9 million – could not be recovered as it was no longer in one of the accounts where the money allegedly ended.
The freeze order on the tycoon’s bank accounts was made under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act, ahead of an investigation by MACC in June 2018.
A total of 21 cheques amounting to RM4 million from then-prime minister Najib Razak were said to have been deposited into the tycoon’s CIMB bank account.
FMT wrote:
In his reply to Lim, Thomas said the authorities could not make up for the RM3.9 million shortfall by forfeiting funds from the tycoon’s other three frozen bank accounts.
He also told Lim that the tycoon had agreed to return some RM330,000 “being the sum equivalent to the illicit proceeds received from the former prime minister, Najib Razak, in relation to the SRC scandal”.
“This means that the tycoon would only have paid about 12% of what he received,” another source from the AGC told FMT.
It added that the information on MACC’s investigation provided to Thomas was supposed to be confidential.
“The ex-AG’s letter to Guan Eng contained several details of the probe, which raised questions about a breach of confidential information, especially to a politician,” it said.
Thomas recently hit out at MACC and his successor Idrus Harun after the Sessions Court on May 14 allowed a discharge not amounting to an acquittal for Riza, Najib’s stepson.
Riza was charged with money laundering amounting to US$248 million paid to his Hollywood production company Red Granite Pictures – money said to be linked to 1MDB.
Under an agreement with the prosecution, Riza would return some US$100 million, which works out to about 40% of the 1MDB funds he received.
The move drew an angry response from former leaders under the Pakatan Harapan government as well as Thomas, who said he had never agreed to the deal, adding that he was convinced Riza could be convicted.
Thomas’ denial however was questioned by MACC. FMT earlier sighted a handwritten note by him, leaving the decision to senior deputy public prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram while stating his agreement to a representation by Riza’s lawyer.
“Everything is in black and white, so to turn around and say he was shocked by the court’s decision last week is baffling,” an MACC source told FMT
THE THIRD FORCE
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