George Brandis, Australia's next High Commissioner to the UK, comes with baggage that leaves him open to blackmail, "moral suasion", and a range of other coercive methods

by Ganesh Sahathevan



The likelihood of Australia's Attorney General, George Brandis, being appointed next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom seems to be increasing.Meanwhile , Mr Brandis continues to maintain silence over his association with Dr Rahim Ghouse, a business partner  of the former SGDT Sheik Yassin Al-Kadi.







As previously reported the detention of Rahim Ghouse's second in command, Zulfikar Shariff of Melbourne, by the Singapore Government under its Internal Security Act provisions, is likely to have provided the Singaporeans and their partners information on a number of Australian politicians, in particular the Attorney General George Brandis.


END

References

Zulfikar Shariff's detention under Singapore's Internal Secuirty Act makes Geroge Brandis vulnerable to blackmail, "moral suasion", and a range of other coercive methods

Attorney-General Senator George Brandis is rumoured to

 be a top contender for the plum role of High Commissioner of London.

NATIONAL

High Commissioner to London: Speculation mounts that George Brandis will take over from Alexander Downer

Ellen Whinnett in London, News Corp Australia Network

October 12, 2017 12:30am

Subscriber only

THE Turnbull Government is still undecided about who the next High Commissioner to London will be, with a looming Cabinet reshuffle in December likely to provide some answers.

Former foreign minister Alexander Downer is the incumbent but his term ended earlier this year and he is staying on for six months on an interim basis while a replacement is decided.

While Foreign Minister Julie Bishop usually chooses ambassadors and high commissioners, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull always takes an interest in the most senior jobs, such as High Commissioner to London and the Ambassador to Washington.

Stoke Lodge near Hyde Park, residence of Australian High Commissioner in London. Picture: Ella Pellegrini

Political appointees are usually favoured for these two plum diplomatic roles (former treasurer Joe Hockey is the ambassador in Washington) rather than senior officials and public servants.

Attorney-General George Brandis is still considered the favourite to take on the role in London, which usually carries a three-year term.

He has batted rumours for more than a year that Mr Turnbull was planning to offer him a diplomatic posting, but several sources have told News Corp he would be an excellent candidate and is expected to be offered the job.

Other sources say there was unhappiness in Cabinet about the internal advice he provided about the same-sex marriage plebiscite, and it was considered time he moved on to another role.

His potential retirement from the Senate would trigger a reshuffle and would cause Mr Turnbull some heartburn, as Senator Brandis, who is leader in the Senate, is one of his close allies.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II presents Britain's Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, with the Insignia of a Knight of the Order of Australia as Australian High Commissioner Alexander Downer looks on in 2015. The award plunged then Prime Minister Tony Abbott into crisis. Picture: AFP

However, Finance Minister Mathias Cormann, who would replace Senator Brandis as Senate leader, has proven his loyalty to Mr Turnbull and established himself as a valuable member of the PM’s conservative Praetorian Guard, led by Peter Dutton.

This would make it easier for Mr Turnbull to promote him in any reshuffle in December after the Parliament rises for the year.

Another complication has arisen around the future of Arthur Sinodinos, the NSW senator and one of Mr Turnbull’s closest advisers, who revealed this week he was fighting cancer.

Senator Sinodinos has taken an extended leave of absence but vowed to return to Parliament and scotched rumours he may have to retire.

Ms Bishop told News Corp that Mr Dower’s “extended term as Australia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom conclude in early 2018.’’

“A number of candidates are under consideration for the role,’’ she said.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/high-commissioner-to-london-speculation-mounts-that-george-brandis-will-take-over-from-alexander-downer/news-story/35d2dfd49789264a5cd4ed652464ec10

realpolitikasia

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Australia's Ambassador to the Netherlands Brett Mason compromised ;ought to be recalled

by Ganesh Sahathevam







Ambassador to the NetherlandsThe Hon Dr Brett Mason

Standing in the middle of the photograph below is the current Australian  Ambassador to the NetherlandsThe Hon Dr Brett Mason. who was then, with George Brandis, a senator representing Queensland. Like Brandis, Mason also has maintained a stony silence with regards this photograph, and any dealings with Rahim Ghouse, a close business associate of the AL-Qaeda financier ,Yassin Al-Kadi, who was an UN and US  specially designated 

global terrorist when the photo was taken.

As reported by the ABC's Background Briefing, Ghouse and his

second -in-charge, Zulfikar Shariff, continued dealing with very many secretly held billions while living in Melbourne, at and around the time the photo was taken. 

Ghouse now spends most of his time in Malaysia,while Zulfikar remains under detention in Singapore for supporting ISIS.

All this leaves Mason compromised,and he really ought to be recalled.Then, unless Brandis and he can provide a full explanation 

for the matters raised above, he ought to be retired.The same goes

for Brandis.

END

References

Friday, September 22, 2017

Zulfikar Shariff's detention under Singapore's Internal Secuirty Act makes Geroge Brandis vulnerable to blackmail, "moral suasion", and a range of other coercive methods

by Ganesh Sahathevan

The detention of Zulfikar Shariff of Melbourne, by the Singapore Government under its Internal Security Act provisions, is likely to have provided the Singaporeans and their partners information on a number of Australian politicians, in particular the Attorney General George Brandis.


The Singaporeans would by now have obtained enough out of Zulfikar to determine how, and why he was allowed to freely and openly operate out of Melbourne, Victoria ,from where " he planned to hold training programmes to persuade young Singaporeans to join his extremist agenda of replacing Singapore's secular, democratic system with an Islamic state, by violence if necessary."

Zulfikar made no secret of his plans, often posting on Facebook messages such as these:

Zulfikar's postings contributed to the radicalisation of at least two other Singaporeans.

It was not as Zulfikar was an unknown.He did arrive in Australia in 2002 under a cloud, accused by none other than Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong of promoting Al Qaeda and its objectives in Singapore. Once here, as is now well known, he assumed a very high profile within the Muslim community,acting as the second in charge to Dr Abdul Rahim Ghouse, business associate of the Al-Qaeda financier Sheik Yassin Al-Kadi.

Brandis continues to maintain his silence, in Australia , about his dealings with Rahim Ghouse and Anwar Ibrahim, the former deputy prime minister of Malaysia.It is more likely than not that under questioning,Zulfikar has already provided the Singaporeans answers to those questions. That makes our Attorney General and potential High Commissioner to the UK vulnerable to blackmail, "moral suasion", and a range of  other coercive methods .

END 

realpolitikasia

Saturday, August 19, 2017

by Ganesh Sahathevan

Here is George Brandis photographed with Dr Rahim Ghouse, who has been shown to be directly  involved in the Melbourne Commercial IBT  money laundering matter.

The fact that Anwar Ibrahim, a hero to some, is also in the picture should not provide any solace, given that Anwar's International Institute Of Islamic Thought was being at and around the time the photograph was taken being investigated in the United States for financing terrorism.

George Brandis QC, AG, needs to stand aside while the matter of his personal finances and funding obtained for political purposes is properly investigated.