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Mahathir and the opposition have claimed that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s administration is attempting to exact political revenge against the former premier, and deflect attention from the 1MDB scandal by dredging up old issues.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/394687
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19 December 2017
malaysiakini.comVerified account @malaysiakini
Dr M files suit against Najib and gov’t over forex RCI
Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad today filed an originating summons against the six members of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) over the report on the foreign exchange losses in the 1990s, as it is described to be incomplete.
He named all six members of the RCI namely Mohd Sidek Hassan, Kamaludin Md Said, Tajuddin Atan, Saw Choon Boon, K Pushpanathan and Yusof Ismail, along with Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, the cabinet and the government as defendants.
The suit was filed by the law firm of Haniff Khatri at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.
Mahathir is seeking a declaration that the RCI is not valid in law and is unacceptable as it does not include all the witness statements or testimonies of those who had testified, including the written or oral requests in the form of transcripts or video recording and the submissions made by the lawyers.
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He is also seeking for the costs of the suit to be borne by the defendants.
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Read more at https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/405936#VuXBK5I48mvdjCBd.99
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December 13, 2017
Bukit Aman cops question Mahathir on forex losses
PUTRAJAYA: Four policemen, believed to be from the Bukit Aman police headquarters, arrived to take Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s statement on Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) RM31.5 billion foreign exchange losses in the 1990s.
The four officers arrived at the Perdana Leadership Foundation (PLF) here at 1.34pm in two vehicles with documents for investigations.
Four lawyers, led by Haniff Khatri Abdulla, had arrived 30 minutes earlier to sit in during the recording of the former prime minister’s statement.
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malaysiakini.comVerified account @malaysiakini
Dr M to seek court intervention over RCI report
Pakatan Harapan chairperson Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s legal team is preparing to mount a challenge against the report by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) on Bank Negara’s foreign exchange (forex) losses in the 1990s and will be filing papers in court soon.
The lawyer for Mahathir, Mohd Haniff Khatri Abdulla said the deadline for the RCI to respond to Mahathir’s letter of demand had lapsed on Friday last week, and he had yet to receive a response as of yesterday.
“We are preparing the cause papers. In the very near future, we will file the necessary application in court and we will inform you,” Haniff told reporters outside the Court of Appeal today.
The letter of demand sent on Dec 4 demanded that the commission include Mahathir’s submissions in its report, threatening legal action if the RCI failed to abide by the request.
Read more at https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/405295#pb4hRoiHZRi7uMki.99
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December 13, 2017
Mahathir fails yet again in bid to remove RCI members
PUTRAJAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad has again failed in his bid to obtain leave to seek the removal of Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) panel chairman Mohd Sidek Hassan and member Saw Choo Boon on grounds of bias.
A three-man Court of Appeal bench chaired by Justice Mohd Zawawi Salleh said there would be “legal impediment and constraint” even if leave for judicial review was given to argue the matter in the High Court.
The panel, which included Justices Abdul Rahman Sebli and Abdul Karim Abdul Jalai, did not elaborate.
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1 December 2017
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malaysiakini.comVerified account @malaysiakini
Lawyer: Dr M’s evidence missing from ‘half-baked’ RCI report
Hanif told Malaysiakini that Mahathir had provided 495 pages of supporting documents and written submissions.
“Anyone who reads the report as it stands will only know of the purported findings and recommendations of the RCI, without actually knowing what materials were put forward by my client.
“That is unfair. As it stands, it is a half-baked report,” he said.
In view of this, Hanif said he will be writing to the RCI secretariat on Monday to demand that the 495 pages be appended to the report before it is publicly circulated.
Hanif said if the secretariat does not provide a satisfactory reply by Dec 8, he has been instructed to initiate a judicial review proceeding to “correct” the report.
“We will seek a court order to prohibit the publication and circulation of the report, which in our opinion, was designed cheat Parliament and the public.
Read more at https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/404043#9ClmqremmvyMg1YF.99
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TheMalaysianInsightVerified account @msianinsight
Dr Mahathir threatens to file for judicial review over forex RCI report
Bede Hong Updated 52 minutes ago · Published on 1 Dec 2017 4:45PM
DR MAHATHIR Mohamad will file a judicial review application to block the royal commission of inquiry report on foreign exchange losses if the RCI does not stop distributing its findings.
“We intend to write to the Secretariat for the RCI on Monday, to demand that it stop circulating or publishing the report until it has inserted all 495 pages of materials (Dr Mahathir’s written submission) in the report,” said the former prime minister’s lawyer, Haniff Khatri Abdulla.
“We will give them until Friday to forward a positive response, failing which, we will file a judicial review application to prohibit the publication of the half-cooked report and prevent it from being shoved down the throats of the palace, Parliament and public unfairly and dishonestly, in carrying out the crooked political agenda of Prime Minister Najib Razak.” – December 1, 2017.
https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/25502/
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30 November 2017
malaysiakini.comVerified account @malaysiakini
RCI recommends Dr M and Anwar be probed, claims Daim abetted CBT
The Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into Bank Negara’s foreign exchange (forex) losses has recommended that an investigation is carried out to determine if former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his deputy Anwar Ibrahim had concealed facts from the cabinet.
According to the commission’s report released this afternoon, the pair had likely abetted Nor Mohamed Yaakop and hid certain facts from the cabinet. Both are grave offences under the Penal Code.
Nor Mohamed was in charge of several portfolios in Bank Negara at the time, including the management of external reserves.
The RCI had recommended that Nor Mohamed is investigated for criminal breach of trust (CBT) and for contravening the Central Bank Ordinance 1958.
The commission also accused former finance minister Daim Zainuddin of abetting Nor Mohamed in committing CBT. Daim was finance minister until 1991 before he was replaced by Anwar.
Relative to what was written in the report about Mahathir and Anwar, the RCI’s account of Daim’s involvement in the affair appears limited.
Anwar ‘well informed’, Dr M’s testimony ‘questionable’
The RCI also said Mahathir and Anwar were aware of the extent of Bank Negara’s losses in the foreign exchange markets in the early 1990s.
The commission said Anwar, who was also finance minister at the time and had oversight of Bank Negara’s activities, was “well informed” about the losses and the measures taken to conceal it from Bank Negara’s annual accounts.
“There is no record from the minutes of the cabinet meetings that IW21 (Anwar) had briefed the cabinet on the actual losses and the measures used to conceal the losses in Bank Negara’s annual accounts.
“The prime minister (IW24, Mahathir) chaired the cabinet meeting on April 6, 1994 where a real loss of only RM5.7 billion was announced.
“IW24 (Mahathir) was briefed by IW21 (Anwar) and IW14 (former Treasury chief secretary Clifford Francis Herbert) that the total loss incurred from the forex dealings from 1992 to 1993 could be in the range of about RM30 billion,” read the report.
The briefing was said to have taken place in “late 1993”.
Read more at https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/403885#boUSAlOZktgCyYLB.99
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19 September 2017
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TheMalaysianInsightVerified account @msianinsight
Why didn’t PM call for forex losses RCI earlier, asks lawyer
NAJIB Razak should have taken the witness stand at the royal commission of inquiry into Bank Negara Malaysia’s forex losses to explain why a probe is being conducted now under his administration and not earlier, said a lawyer for Anwar Ibrahim.
R. Sivarasa said Najib was a Cabinet member 25 years ago when the losses occurred due to aggressive forex trading by the central bank to preserve its reserves and support the ringgit.
He said the RCI could have called the prime minister to explain why he wanted an inquiry now as he was the one to revisit the issue.
“Let’s not lose sight of the fact that the appointment of the RCI by the king is a constitutional process, and the real party behind the setting up of the commission is the (current) Cabinet.
“In reality, it is a decision by Najib to open up the issue and set up an RCI in 2017, whereas in 1993, as a senior Cabinet member, he had said ‘no’ to it,” Sivarasa said, referring to calls by the opposition then for a similar inquiry.
https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/15243/
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18 September 2017
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Dr M: RCI on forex losses aimed to intimidate Najib’s critics
The former prime minister says the chronology of establishing the RCI betrays its true intention.
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PUTRAJAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad has charged that the formation of the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the foreign exchange (forex) trading losses during his administration 25 years ago was aimed to intimidate critics of Prime Minister Najib Razak.
The former prime minister, who now heads Pakatan Harapan (PH), said the chronology of the establishment of the RCI betrayed its true purpose, which was to intimidate critics of Najib on the 1MDB scandal and other issues.
“To my knowledge, all the issues related to the forex losses had been tackled by Bank Negara Malaysia by the creation of various oversight measures, in particular by amending the Bank Negara Malaysia Act 2009 and regulations under it.
“Twenty-five years have gone by since the forex issue and it is not an issue that needs attention or should burden the people, but, from out of the blue, a former assistant governor of BNM brings up this issue again,” Mahathir said while testifying before the RCI at the Palace of Justice here today.
He said that following the remark by Abdul Murad Khalid, the Najib administration immediately released a statement that it would consider the formation of the RCI.
“Najib Razak, through his ‘assistants’, succeeded in creating the RCI in less than 25 days, to be exact only 19 days,” he added.
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Mahathir called on each of the five members of the RCI panel to be courageous in making their decisions and offering different opinions, “should the testimonies heard during the inquiry not lead them to achieve an unanimous decision”.
“I hope and appeal to all of you, who are learned and have been appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong as commissioners, to perform your duty to seek the truth in the name of the King and to make the right and correct recommendations without taking sides to help Najib realise his true evil intention,” he said.
“Also, I understand the original forex trading records were not tabled during the investigation by any witness because the matter was already 25 years old,” he added.
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malaysiakini.comVerified account @malaysiakini
Dr M: I was not informed of RM30b in losses
LIVE REPORT | Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad is set to testify before the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into billions in losses incurred by Bank Negara Malaysia in foreign exchange decades ago.
Coming before him in the proceedings today is his former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, who is testifying as the 23rd witness.
Malaysiakini will bring you the live updates from the hearing as it proceeds.
[More to follow]
12.35pm: Mahathir responds to former deputy secretary-general with the finance ministry, Clifford Francis Herbert who had claimed that Mahathir said “sometimes we make profits, sometimes we make losses” when purportedly informed about the forex losses.
“Although I can’t remember whether I said that or that I said ‘sometimes we make or lose’, I don’t think it’s strange if I said that because, in the 1980s, Jaffar informed me that forex trading during the time had helped in balancing the country’s reserves.”
Mahathir, however, claims that he was not explicitly informed about the RM30 billion losses.
“What is sure, if I had said that, this has convinced me that RM30 billion was not mentioned to me.
“If that was mentioned, it’s impossible for me to have said that,” he says.
12.20pm: Mahathir admits that he was once invited by Jaffar to Bank Negara’s trading room.
“During my time as prime minister, I went there only once because Jaffar wanted to show the forex trading room.
“I was only there for half an hour. I was there to fulfil his invitation.
Citing a meeting with Jaffar, Mahathir says he was informed verbally by the then governor that Bank Negara could strengthen the country’s reserves and currency through forex trading.
Jaffar’s decision to go actively into forex trading, says Mahathir, was not made to his knowledge.
12.15pm: Mahathir takes the stand.
Reading his witness statement, Mahathir states that Bank Negara had operated independently as a body created under the Central Bank of Malaysia Ordinance and had its own structure and was led by the governor.
“The governor had the duty to report Bank Negara’s activities from time to time to the board of directors.
“As prime minister, I was never involved in Bank Negara’s administration and I believe that I was not permitted under the law to get involved in its policies and affairs.”
Mahathir, however, says this does not mean that the governor, then, never talked about Bank Negara in general terms.
“But all discussions were just normal ones without details in relation to Bank Negara’s specific activities,” he says.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/395508
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16 September 2017
malaysiakini.comVerified account @malaysiakini
Cops record Dr M’s statement ahead of RCI hearing
Four police personnel appointed by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) investigating Bank Negara’s foreign exchange losses recorded a witness statement today from former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Mahathir later told reporters that the process included reviewing various documents that would be presented before the panel on Monday.
“It took a long time… almost three hours,” he said when met at the Perdana Global Leadership Foundation office in Kuala Lumpur.
“There were some corrections, some additions.
“The police asked me some questions, so I have to read some letters and documents before I could answer them,” Mahathir said, adding that he had to be prepared before facing the RCI panel.
Mahathir said he was also informed that future witnesses would include former finance minister Daim Zainuddin.
Asked who else should appear before the RCI, Mahathir jokingly replied that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak too should be a witness because he was a cabinet minister at the material time.
Meanwhile, Mahathir’s lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla said that his team had proceeded to prepare an independent witness statement prior to the events today.
This was because the subpoena sent to his client on Tuesday was not accompanied with any indication that the RCI would send a team to record his statements.
“They (the police) went through the (prepared) statement and asked questions above and beyond it,” said Haniff who hinted that some of the questions involved documents classified under the Official Secrets Act.
“What will appear on the RCI, whether it will incorporate the statement recorded by the police and the one we prepared, remains to be seen.
“Whether the statement will incorporate both parts or not, Tun will proceed to read the one he has prepared,” Haniff said.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/395352
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12 September 2017
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malaysiakini.comVerified account @malaysiakini
Dr M to testify before forex RCI next week
Former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad will testify before the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) investigating Bank Negara’s foreign exchange (forex) losses next Monday.
This was confirmed by his lawyer Mohd Haniff Khatri Abdulla, who accepted a subpoena on behalf of his client, this afternoon.
“We received it (the subpoena) around 2.30pm and Mahathir is scheduled to testify at 11am on Monday,” he told Malaysiakini.
The lawyer said Mahathir was unable to receive the subpoena as he was attending the late Kedah ruler Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah’s funeral.
Haniff said he would send a letter to the RCI tomorrow to ask when its officers intend to take a statement from Mahathir and also to pass copies of documents they would refer to the former premier by the end of this week.
He said this is to facilitate Mahathir in giving his testimony.
“Tun will attend because he has been subpoenaed. But that would be without prejudice to his appeal pending in the Court of Appeal on his application to disqualify the two members of the RCI.”
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With the exception of Anwar, who is serving a five-year prison term, the other witnesses came with prepared witness statements.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/394926
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malaysiakini.comVerified account @malaysiakini
Now, Jasa accuses Anwar of threatening RCI witness
The government’s propaganda arm Special Affairs Department (Jasa) has accused PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim of threatening a witness in the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the forex scandal.
The claim came after Jasa director-general Mohd Puad Zarkashi faced an onslaught for claiming that former Bank Negara adviser Nor Mohamed Yakcop was taking the fall in the forex scandal for former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Jasa advisory panel member Tun Faisal Ismail Aziz zoomed in on Anwar’s statement on Aug 23, in which Anwar criticised former Bank Negara assistant governor Abdul Murad Khalid’s statement to the RCI about him and demanded that he be summoned by the RCI to provide a response.
“I have read the witness statement of Murad Abdul Khalid, where at paragraph 37 he alleges that on a flight to Hawaii in early 1994, he briefed me on the Bank Negara forex losses and that I had said that if those losses were made public, I would have to resign as finance minister.
“His malicious insinuation is clear – that I had implied a cover-up was needed. That allegation is false. I never said that to him.
“Murad has been personally hostile towards me since 1999, when he published a sworn statutory declaration making false and scurrilous accusations against me. This declaration was investigated by the then Anti-Corruption Agency and found to be completely baseless,” Anwar had said in his statement.
Tun Faisal said the tone of Anwar’s statement more closely fitted the definition of an offence under Section 12(2) of the Commissions of Enquiry Act 1950.
Section 12(2) of the law states “any person who threatens, insults or injures any person for having given evidence, or on account of the evidence which he has given before the commissioners, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years”.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/394856
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10 September 2017
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TheMalaysianInsightVerified account @msianinsight
Khairuddin lodges police report against Puad for slander, insulting RCI
FORMER Umno division leader Khairuddin Abu Hassan lodged a police report against government propaganda chief Mohd Puad Zarkashi for “slandering and insulting” personalities in the ongoing Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the forex loses 25 years ago.
Puad was accused of slandering Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Anwar Ibrahim after the testimony of second finance minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop.
In his report, which was lodged at the Dang Wangi police station, Khairuddin said Puad violated Section 12(2) of the Commissions of Enquiry Act 1950 (Act 119) by “slandering and insulting” the three men as well as compromising the honour of the RCI.
“The evil statement by Puad contradicted statements by the witnesses queried at the RCI and (Puad) has no relevant information (to corroborate his claims),” said the former Batu Kawan Umno deputy chief.
https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/14100/
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malaysiakini.comVerified account @malaysiakini
Dr M: Authorities not seeking truth, just ‘lock-up uniform’ photo ops
Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has said that royal commission of inquiries (RCI) today do not actually aim to seek the truth.
“If a police report is lodged against a member or supporter of the opposition, the police will conduct an investigation and even form a RCI with haste.
“It is not truth being sought, but pictures (of someone) wearing the lock-up uniform that is being prioritised,” Mahathir, the Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) chairperson, said.
He was speaking to a crowd of approximately 2,500 at Bersatu’s first birthday celebration in Muar, Johor last night.
Even things that have been resolved decades ago are being brought up again, he said, while “current crimes” are not being investigated or discussed.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/394687
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8 September 2017
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malaysiakini.comVerified account @malaysiakini
Sri Ram: Jasa’s accusation may amount to ‘threatening’ a witness
Former Federal Court judge Gopal Sri Ram said the accusation by Special Affairs Department (Jasa) against former Bank Negara adviser Nor Mohamed Yakcop over his evidence during the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) may constitute an offence of threatening, insulting or injuring a witness.
He is referring to Jasa director-general Mohd Puad Zarkashi’s statement accusing Nor Mohamed of trying to protect then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad over the forex scandal.
Sri Ram cited Section 12(2) of the Commissions of Inquiry Act 1950 which states that “Any person who threatens, insults or injures any person for having given evidence, or on account of the evidence which he has given before the commissioners, shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two
years”.
The former judge, however, said Puad’s comment may not fall within the definition of contempt under Section 14 of the same Act.
“But he may be prosecuted for an offence under Section 12(2) of the Act. Whether he will ever be prosecuted is quite another question,” he told Malaysiakini.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/394554
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malaysiakini.comVerified account @malaysiakini
Amidst RCI, Jasa accuses Nor Mohamed of taking rap for Dr M
The Special Affairs Department (Jasa), the government’s propaganda arm, has accused former Bank Negara adviser Nor Mohamed Yakcop of trying to protect then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad over the forex scandal.
Weighing in on the ongoing royal commission of inquiry (RCI), Jasa director-general Mohd Puad Zarkashi also questioned whether Nor Mohamed was taking up the role of a scapegoat.
Puad was referring to Nor Mohamed’s testimony to the RCI on the losses suffered by Bank Negara in the forex market from the late 1980s to the early 1990s.
“He admitted responsibility for the huge losses, but denied that he was solely responsible for decisions on forex trading by Bank Negara.
“Does it mean other people are involved? Who are they? What is certain was Nor Mohamed avoided implicating the then prime minister (Mahathir) and finance minister (Anwar Ibrahim),” said Puad.
Puad, who signed off the Jasa statement as ‘Umno supreme council member’, said the issue was why the real losses suffered by Bank Negara was not the same as that which had purportedly been reported to the cabinet at that time.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/394466
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TheMalaysianInsightVerified account @msianinsight
Does the forex RCI have KPIs to meet?
IF it was not apparent from the outset, it must be apparent now that the “Sidek Panel”, or Royal Commission of Inquiry into Bank Negara Malaysia’s forex losses, has a result in mind – the complete demonisation of Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
To be exact, RCI chief Mohamed Sidek Hassan, and now, even the Umno Supreme Council, want a certain outcome from the panel’s deliberations.
So, when they don’t get that outcome, they go ballistic. In Sidek’s case, his words lay hollow to any claim that he is an honest broker.
In the case of the Umno Supreme Council, its unwillingness to accept the narrative of one of its own suggests that this collection of not-so-stellar party hacks is only interested in its version of events. It just wants to nail Dr Mahathir.
Umno Supreme Council member and government propaganda chief Mohd Puad Zarkashi said as much when he accused former BNM adviser Nor Mohamed Yakcop of trying to shield Dr Mahathir from prosecution over the central bank’s forex losses.
“He took responsibility for the huge losses, but denied that all decisions regarding forex trading by the central bank in the 1990s were decided solely by him,” he said in a statement today.
“This means that there were others involved. Who is the (other) person? Did he mean BNM’s (then) governor?
“Certainly, Nor Mohamed avoided implicating the then prime minister (Dr Mahathir) and finance minister (Anwar Ibrahim).”
For Sidek, his testy exchange with Anwar yesterday speaks volumes about what he wants everyone to know – that Dr Mahathir was behind the matter and knew all along what was going on.
So, any testimony that deviates from that outcome is inconvenient.
https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/13900/
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A Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) was formed to investigate Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) foreign exchange (forex) market losses in the 1980’s and 1990s.
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2017/06/251095/rci-be-formed-probe-bnm-forex-losses
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7 September 2017
Nampak percanggahan kenyataan-kenyataan mereka? Jadi apakah motif sebenar penubuhan Suruhanjaya Siasatan Diraja BNM/Forex? #BebasAnwar
Their statements appear to conflict? So what are the real motives of the establishment of the Royal Commission Inquiry BNM/Forex? #BebasAnwar
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Malay Mail OnlineVerified account @themmailonline
Anwar: Dr M never gave instructions on forex trade after learning of losses
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PUTRAJAYA, Sept 7 ― Former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad never issued “any instructions” regarding Bank Negara Malaysia’s forex trade after learning of the potential losses, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said today.
Testifying before the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) into the forex losses today, the former deputy prime minister said that Dr Mahathir did not instruct whether to stop or proceed with the forex trading.
Anwar confirmed that Dr Mahathir was briefed of the trading activity and potential losses by a Finance Ministry official on Anwar’s instruction.
Former Finance Ministry Secretary General Tan Sri Clifford Francis Herbert previously claimed that he briefed Dr Mahathir on the losses, and Anwar confirmed the matter.
“I instructed Clifford to prepare a report and brief Dr Mahathir about it,” Anwar said.
“Dr Mahathir did not give any instruction whether to proceed with forex or not,” he added.
Clifford, who testified at the RCI last week, said that Dr Mahathir was “indifferent” when briefed about forex losses, which the former claims could amount to RM30 billion.
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Forex Trading News @FX_Trading_News 58 minutes ago
RCIon BNM #Forex scandal: Nor Yakcop overstepped his boundaries, says Anwar http://ift.tt/2j6oTgc
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Benyamin Alsagoff @benalsagoff676 13 hours ago
RCI on Bank Negara Malaysia Forex losses,Zeti said Jaafar took accountability of the losses in a very HONOURABLE way & resigned. @NajibRazak
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22 July 2017
I’ll remain free despite Najib’s efforts, says Dr Mahathir
Pakatan Harapan chairman Dr Mahathir Mohamad claims BN wants to use the forex scandal to have him arrested so that he’ll be out of the picture come GE14.
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PETALING JAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad is confident he will not be arrested under any circumstances prior to the next general election (GE14).
Mahathir said while the Barisan Nasional (BN) government may try to have him arrested using the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) formed to probe the forex losses suffered by Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) in the early 1990s, he believes he would remain a free man until GE14.
“They don’t just want to discredit me. I think they want to arrest me so that I will be out of the picture when the general election takes place.
“What he wants to do is to get rid of me. So far he has not succeeded, but I think he will cook up something,” Mahathir said, referring to Prime Minister Najib Razak.
“But even if they charge me, the hearing in court will take a long time. In the meantime, I’m free to campaign.
“I will be a free man, until the general election,” the 92-year-old, who is also Pakatan Harapan chairman, told reporters at an open house organised by DAP’s Zaid Ibrahim, here today.
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PM Najib says Dr M now demanding Anwar’s release is because he is worried that RCI on BNM forex losses will result in criminal prosecution
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Najib: Mahathir’s support for Anwar due to forex RCI
PM says Mahathir Mohamad cannot afford to have people such as Anwar Ibrahim testifying against him in the RCI into Bank Negara’s forex losses.
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PETALING JAYA: Najib Razak says Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s support for Anwar Ibrahim as prime minister is driven by his concern over the royal commission of inquiry (RCI) into the losses suffered by Bank Negara due to foreign exchange (forex) trading in the 1990s.
Pointing out that the losses had been incurred during Mahathir’s tenure as prime minister, Najib claimed the PPBM chairman’s “latest U-turn” was not what it seemed.
“It comes after 20 years of Mahathir vilifying Anwar and using every possible means at his disposal to eliminate him from the political process, including arresting him under the now-repealed Internal Security Act, prosecuting and jailing him and a sustained campaign to attack his moral character.
“However, as Mahathir knows well, Anwar cannot legally contest, so this U-turn is not about the coming general election.
“Mahathir knows that the RCI findings could lead to criminal prosecution, so he cannot afford to have individuals highly relevant to the case, such as Anwar, testifying against him,” the prime minister said in a statement today.
Mahathir, who was prime minister from 1981 to 2003, was yesterday reported by The Guardian as saying that Anwar should be released from jail and allowed to contest in parliamentary elections.
He said Anwar was the “victim of a political vendetta” and had been “unfairly treated”.
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21 June 2017
New Straits Times @NST_Online
RCI to be formed to probe BNM forex losses
KUALA LUMPUR: A Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) will be formed to investigate Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) foreign exchange (forex) market losses in the 1980’s and 1990s.
The Prime Minister’s Office, in a statement today, said the decision to form the RCI was taken after the special task force formed to probe the scandal presented its report to the Cabinet.
“The task force found that there was a prima facie case to be answered by BNM for the losses and therefore, has recommended the formation of the RCI.
“Its formation is in line with public interest, as it will be able to determine the BNM losses, which involved national reserves,” it said.
The task force’s initial findings, read the statement, had established that the losses suffered were much more than what was reported to the Cabinet and parliament.
“The task force had also found that there had been attempts to conceal actual facts on the losses – with misleading information given to the Cabinet and parliament.
“The cabinet unanimously agreed with the task force’s recommendation, that there was a need to form the RCI… it would hopefully be able to unravel the issue which has shackled the nation for 23 years,” it added.
https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2017/06/251095/rci-be-formed-probe-bnm-forex-losses
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weehingthong 