Kuwait Finance House had very strong ties to Anwar Ibrahim and Rahim Ghouse , but chose Jho Low to act as its lobbyist in Malaysia in 2006 - An interesting series of coincidences between Anwar Ibrahim, Rahim Ghouse ,Jho Low and 1MDB demands answers

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

                                     R-L: Wan Azizah, Anwar,Saifuddin Naustion, Rafizi,Ghouse

 An interesting coincidence : Anwar Ibrahim, Rahim Ghouse , Jho Low, and Kuwait Finance House

The story of Jho Low and 1MDB, and his Arab connections  is well a matter of public record.  As reported by The Edge 

2006

Oct: Low Taek Jho or Jho Low, then a mere 26-year-old, attempted to lobby support for Kuwait Finance House’s bid for RHB Bank Bhd, which was put up for sale by Utama Banking Group Bhd (UBG), but did not succeed. UBG was controlled by the family of then Sarawak chief minister Taib Mahmud.

2007

March: EPF offered to buy RHB Capital Bhd/RHB Bank from UBG for RM2.25 billion and completed the acquisition a few months later. UBG ended up with a hefty cash pile.  

Also in the public domain is the fact that in and around the same period , Dr Abdul Rahim Ghouse,  Anwar Ibrahim's closest advisor and overseer of his assets, had as part of his business activities while in exile in Melbourne , taken charge of Kuwait Finance House Australia (KFHA). Ghouse had " secured the entry of Kuwait Finance House into. Australia".

 KFHA was a subsidiary of Kuwait Finance House Malaysia, which was in turn wholly-owned by Jho Low's client, Kuwait Finance House (KFH). That KFH had chosen to employ Jho Low as its lobbyist in Malaysia is curious given its connections to Ghouse and therefore Anwar Ibrahim  Anwar had been released from prison in 2004 and had led the opposition in the 2008 elections. It was fair to say that at that time he enjoyed considerable wealth and power, travelling as if he were a head of state despite having been sacked as Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister in 1998, and spent almost 7 years in prison. 

Apart from leading the opposition in Malaysia Anwar had also been appointed a director of the Saudi AlBaraka Banking Group (ABG)  by his friend Salah Kamel.   ABG's assets in Malaysia included a stake in Utama Banking Group Bhd (UBG).  UBG was of course among assets traded by Jho Low, with 1MDB money.   Anwar Ibrahim owes Malaysians a clear explanation of all of the above, as well as an explanation about how he intends to expedite Jho Low's extradition to Malaysia, and the return of the assets Low and others working with him have stolen. 

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