More than a year has passed but Neville Carter's College of Law Australia has still not responded to Apple Inc's report of a data breach - primary Australian regulator AG NSW Mark Speakman remains silent even as Cth AG Mark Dreyfuss proposes enhanced privacy protection

by Ganesh Sahathevan 

 College of Law CEO Neville Carter has refused to answer any queries, including queries about
his work in Malaysia. The College has been losing crucial PLT market share in Australia.
                                         

Maddocks says:

The highly anticipated Privacy Act Review Report (Report) has been released by the Federal Attorney-General, which sets out significant proposals to amend the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (Privacy Act), including the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). If implemented, these changes will have far-reaching implications for all organisations.


Meanwhile more than a year has passed but College of Law Australia has still not responded to Apple Inc's report of a data breach at the College. As reported the safety of lawyers and law students in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, other ASEAN countries and the UK may be compromised(see below).

The primary Australian regulator is Attorney General NSW Mark Speakman. Speakman remains silent even as Commonwealth Attorney General Mark Dreyfuss proposes enhanced privacy protection.

Mr Speakman and his NSW LPAB have also chosen to do nothing about reports out of Malaysia about the conduct of the College and its chief executive, Neville Carter. 

To Be Read With 

Sunday, November 21, 2021

Apple Inc says College of Law Australia is subject of data breach but primary Australian regulator AG NSW Mark Speakman silent-Parochial interests take precedence over safety of lawyers & law students in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, other ASEAN and UK

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

College Of Law's  collaboration with the Singapore Law Society involves lawyers in Singapore providing their information to the College

Australian regulators that oversee the operations of the College Of Law Ltd have not taken any steps to address the data leak at the College Of Law.

The NSW Legal Profession Admission Board and the NSW Department Of Justice, as well as the NSW state Attorney General, Mark Speakman SC have remained silent despite the information below being brought to the attention of Speakman and the Department Of Justice. As minister in charge Speakman is ultimately responsible. 

Meanwhile the personal details of lawyers and law students in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, other ASEAN and the UK continue to be exposed.  As with the case in Malaysia (see story below)  parochial NSW and Sydney interests have prevailed over the interests of customers.  

TO BR READ WITH 

Saturday, November 6, 2021

Apple says College of Law Australia is subject of data breach - Personal details of lawyers, law students in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, other ASEAN and UK may be affected

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

 Apple iPhone security has informed this writer that his password for his  account at the website sso.collaw.edu.au has appeared in a data leak.

The website is owned by  College Of Law Ltd, better known as the College Of Law Sydney or College Of Law Australia.

The College has been granted permission by the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board to conduct PLT courses which it has done so for over 40 years. Its databases would contain the personal details of almost every lawyer in NSW, and many from other Australian jurisdictions. 

The College has entered into agreements with law societies in Malaysia, Singapore and the Malaysian state of Sabah pursuant to which it has invited lawyers from those jurisdictions to provide their personal details in exchange for access to the College's material. 

It has a similar agreement with the Inter-Pacific Bar Association, with a particular focus on ASEAN.
In 2019 it commenced business in the UK via wholly-owned subsidiary College Of Legal Practise Ltd, offering among other things the UK Solicitors Qualifying Examination (SQE).

The College has refused to answer queries about its governance and management practises. 

END 

SEE ALSO 

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Malaysia will investigate NSW AG and LPAB oversight of the College Of Law: College's Malaysian business removes protective mantle; likely to further expose LPAB Annual report exclusions

by Ganesh Sahathevan


The story below was published by the well connected Malaysian investigative new site New Malaysia Times. An investigation by all the relevant Malaysian authorities can be expected, and that will involve a forensic examination of the College Of Law Sydney.

Questions about the College's activities in Malaysia have been put by this writer to the two parties ultimately responsible for regulating the College's activities , the Attorney General NSW Mark Speakman and the Legal Professional Admission Board NSW.

The queries have been met with accusations, by the LPAB and the AG of harassment , threat and intimidation by this writer of the College's management.They have gone so far as to object to the Attorney General Malaysia being informed about the  College's activities in Malaysia
They have also excluded from the LPAB's 2018 and earlier Annual Reports , which the AG tables in the NSW Parliament complaints against the College and its management; and in particular statements on the official record that they have made in support of the College.

All the above is  now likely to be investigated in Malaysia.
END

Bar Council education ‘JV’ must be clarified

By Editor , in Scandal on July 19, 2019 . Tagged width: College of Law , Fareed Gafoor , Malaysian Bar

KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 – The Malaysian Bar Council launched its first education venture, a LLM in Malaysian Legal Practise (LLM), last year in collaboration with the College Of Law Australia.

The LLM does not seem to have the approval of Malaysia’s Legal Professional Qualifying Board (LPQB) but the website for the course, which is hosted in Australia, prominently displays the Bar Council crest.

The crest has not been used before to promote a course of study, and queries put to Bar Council President Fareed Gafoor about the use of the crest have been acknowledged but remain unanswered.

NMT has however sighted an email from Fareed dated Friday, May 24, 2019 with regards the LLM and the use of the crest where he states:

Dear Rajen,

We can’t remain silent on this.

Abdul Fareed Bin Abdul Gafoor

Sent from my iPad

It is understood that “Rajen” refers to  Rajen Devaraj, Chief Executive Officer of the Bar Council Secretariat in Kuala Lumpur.

The Bar has remained silent for nearly 2 months since.

Key person suddenly retired during extensive query

The College of Law used to be represented in Malaysia by its Director, Peter Tritt. Tritt have been queried extensively about the LLM and about the College’s business in Malaysia but has refused to provide answers. Tritt has been based in Kuala Lumpur since 2017 but announced on Friday that he had “retired” from the College on 30 June 2019.

It is understood that Tritt has forwarded queries sent him to his head office in Sydney and hence it appears that Tritt is under orders from his Chief Executive, Neville Carter, to remain silent.

Questionable advertising claims?

In advertising on the College’s website Carter has claimed that he had established a Professional Legal Training course for Malaysian Law students seeking admission to practise in Malaysia. There seems to be no evidence of such a course, or of any national level training course for the existing Certificate of Legal Practise.

Carter has also claimed to have produced the “inaugural” Handbook in Legal Practise for Malaysia, in the late 80s. A search of the main law libraries in Malaysia directed by the Chief Registrar, Federal Court Malaysia, has not found any such handbook.

He has also claimed to have, during that time to have identified and addressed “gaps” in Malaysian legal practise, but not even those in practice during that period and since have ever heard of him. Nor are senior practitioners aware of  “gaps” that needed that to be addressed by external consultants.

As CEO of the College Carter  has ultimate responsibility for the College’s Malaysian operation headed by Tritt and variously named the “College Of Law Asia Pacific” and the “College Of Law Asia”. A search by NMT has not revealed any entities registered under those names in Malaysia or in Australia, not even a foreign entities registered to conduct business in Malaysia.

Meanwhile the College, in collaboration with the Bar Council continues to sell its LLM and other courses in Malaysia, deriving a fee income from Malaysian courses.

-NMT

See also

AG NSW justifies exclusion of foreign regulatory risks from Dept of Justice annual reports on the basis that he was threatened, intimidated by the information:The matter of Top Group has implications for all regulators (including the NSW Law Soc)

Singtel-Optus director Gladys Berejiklian's COVID vaccine claims shown to be false by her successor - NSW Premier says COVID vaccines do not prevent transmission ,"I could not be clearer"

by Ganesh Sahathevan  

“There is no evidence that vaccines in the current environment have any impact at all on transmission of COVID. I could not be clearer,” (NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet) told Sydney radio 2GB on Monday.

"The current environment " has seen an explosion of COVID cases and deaths. The COVID vaccine program pushed by his predecessor , the recently hired  Singtel-Optus director Gladys Berejiklian has failed.

As reported earlier, Berejiklian pushed her vaccine program on the basis of unsupported claims, and by doing so may have breached Australian laws.


To Be Read With 

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Singtel-Optus director Gladys Berejiklian's unsupported claims about COVID vaccines made while premier NSW may be in breach of Australia's laws

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

In 2017 Robert Gottliebsen, columnist for The Australian, reminded his readers: 

We are fortunate in Australia to have a section of the criminal code that covers politicians and public servants who make false statements or mislead the public. It sets out that if they are guilty of an offence they can be punished with 12 months jail. Every word uttered by ministers as they vandalised the network and created higher prices needs to be examined to determine whether an offence has been committed. It’s not my job to say they have committed an offence and, as is their right, the politicians will fight any prosecutions with great vigour

(Robert Gottliebsen, The Australian,30 March 2017)

These laws may now be applicable to various Australian politicians, including Singtel-Optus director Gladys Berejiklian, who claimed the COVID vaccines would prevent transmission, despite having no basis to say so.

News.com.au's Frank Chung has compiled their statements, including Berejiklian's: 

Former NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. Picture: Bianca De Marchi/NCA NewsWire

Gladys Berejiklian

August 25, 2021: “Don’t hold off, get your hands on any vaccine you can. Keep yourself [and] your loved ones safe. It’s also doing a community service by helping stop the spread and keeping people out of hospital. The quicker we are vaccinated, the quicker we will get to the next target.”

September 7, 2021: “I wouldn’t want to be in the room with lots of people who aren’t vaccinated. And I certainly hope that all of our colleagues [parliamentarians] are vaccinated. That’s the message we’ve been sending the community. And obviously as workplaces open up, every workplace will have their policies according to what the government is indicating. But I just want to make this point very clear — if people want to enjoy the things we have missed such as a meal or any other issue, or any other venue, they’re going to have to be vaccinated.”

September 13, 2021: “I don’t want people to think they can sit back and let everybody else do the hard work [getting vaccinated]. We all have choices and if it’s your choice not to be vaccinated, well that might mean you cannot participate in things that [the] fully vaccinated do.”

September 15, 2021: “We don’t want anyone who hasn’t been vaccinated yet to sit at home. Come out, get vaccinated, do your bit for yourself and your family. Remember that people might say well if you’re not vaccinated, that’s on you and you might get sick — well, no. Unvaccinated people spread the disease more readily. so if you’re in a venue or somewhere and there’s unvaccinated people you’re more chance of contracting the disease from them because they don’t have that protection.”

September 20, 2021: “I just want people to acknowledge that because unvaccinated people … it’s one thing to put themselves in jeopardy, but they’re jeopardising everybody else because they’re more contagious. If you choose not to be vaccinated, it’s one thing to make that decision for yourself and your family, but you’re also making that decision, suggesting that you don’t care if you’re more contagious to other people. [People choosing not to be vaccinated] means all of us have to be on guard, because as Dr Chant and myself and everybody’s been saying, even if you’re double vaccinated and have underlying health conditions you can still be at risk. I worry for people like my parents or others in the community who are aged or fully vaccinated, but yet could still be vulnerable.”

September 27, 2021: “It is not too late. You have the option, go today, make your booking and get vaccinated not only to protect yourself and your loved ones but also the community.”

END 

Tinker tailor lawyer spy : The Zhenhua Data surveillance incident revisited in light of ASIO boss Mark Burgess' revelation that judicial officers have been targeted by foreign agents;it is in the national interest that judicial officers, like politicians, make full public disclosure of all their interests

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

From left to right: Prof Eugene Clark, Hon George Brandis, Dr Minshen Zhu

ASIO chief Mike Burgess said recently: 

“In the last year, a small number of Australian judicial figures have been subjected to suspicious approaches,” Burgess revealed.

“While we are yet to conclusively conclude they were targeted by foreign intelligence services, we do know spies want insights into court cases relevant to their governments and are seeking to use litigation as an intelligence collection tool.”

Burgess' revelation brings to mind the Zhenhua Data surveillance incident,where a number of judges and their families appear to have been subject of Chinese government surveillance. 

As this writer said then, and will do again, it is in the national interest that the judicial officers involved, including the judges, make full disclosure of any vulnerability. 

It is in the national interest that judicial officers, like politicians, make full public  disclosure of all their interests.

TO BE READ WITH 

Tinker tailor lawyer spy: Secrets of judicial officers spied on may be exploited by thief

The Communist Party China linked Zhenhua Data surveillance of Australians including in particular judicial officers concerns all Australians.  Given their position any vulnerability that is exploited by the CPC can affect national security. 

For that reason it is in the national interest that the judicial officers involved, including the judges, make full disclosure of any vulnerability. 

This is not an unreasonable request; judges today have sought to insert themselves into public debates, and involve themselves in international affairs, in matters outside court. 

The Chief Justice Of NSW Tom Bathurst, and the NSW Legal Profession Admission Board, of which he is chairman, are good examples. Readers might recall that Mr Bathurst and his officers consider themselves players on the international stage: 

LPAB foray into international politics, 1MDB and a HK IPO demand that the Chairman (the CJ NSW) signs off the accounts

Compounding matters is the NSW LPAB and it chairman's refusal to do what they are being paid to do ie to be regulator of the  legal profession: 

Legal Profession Admission Board Annual Report 2015-16 deficiency : Is the Member for Cronulla, the AG NSW, a victim of regulatory capture by NSW Liberal donor Top Group?

Mr Bathrust and his officers have even managed to insert themselves into regional South East Asian business and politics, insisting that this well known lawyer from a prominent Malaysian political family is in fact an employee of the College Of Law who was being harassed by this writer:

Australia's College Of Law abuses Kitingan name to promote masters course of little or no value

These are all matters that can be easily exploited by any intelligence agency, but even more the Chinese given the subject matter. Bathrust and his NSW LPAB officers are but one example, we are entitled to know what other matters there may be that have obviously interested China's spy masters. 

Biden's World Bank nominee Ajay Banga has unresolved 1MDB issues

by Ganesh Sahathevan  

The US is nominating former Mastercard boss Ajay Banga to lead the World Bank  

From Yahoo News: 

US President Joe Biden has named Indian-American businessman Ajay Banga (photo above) as the US pick to lead the World Bank.

The move comes as the US increases pressure on the bank to put more emphasis on tackling climate change.

Mr Banga led credit card giant Mastercard for more than a decade and now works in private equity.

 

Meanwhile, Ajay Banga has still not answered the questions raised below with regards 1MDB.

To Be Read With 

Monday, January 4, 2021

Mastercard Inc wants Congress to recognise Biden as president, but remains silent on 1MDB issues going back to 2015

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

CNN has reported:

More than 170 prominent business leaders signed a letter urging Congress to accept the Electoral College results that declared Joe Biden as the next President of the United States.
"This presidential election has been decided and it is time for the country to move forward," the letter reads. "President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris have won ... There should be no further delay in the orderly transfer of power."

The signatories include Mastercard President Ajay Banga, a Guardian Of Capitalism. Mastercard and he have yet to comment on the 1MDB matter, which concerns them given how former Mastercard Chairman Richard Haythornthwaite involved himself in the 1MDB theft. 

Haythornthwaite resigned as chairman on 31 December 2020.Banga has assumed his position, and is now designated Executive Chairman. 

TO BE READ WITH 

Monday, December 14, 2020

Pope's partner in reforming capitalism Mastercard has unanswered 1MDB questions : The Pope has welcomed Mastercard as a "Guardian for Inclusive Capitalism "

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

The Pope has displayed questionable  judgement in a number of issues, including the Vatican's relations with China



Pope Francis has decided to back something called The Council for Inclusive Capitalism with the Vatican. In its press statement the Council said:

The Council for Inclusive Capitalism with the Vatican ("the Council"), a historic new partnership between some of the world's largest investment and business leaders and the Vatican, launched today. It signifies the urgency of joining moral and market imperatives to reform capitalism into a powerful force for the good of humanity. Under the moral guidance of His Holiness Pope Francis and His Eminence Cardinal Peter Turkson, who leads the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development at the Vatican, and inspired by the moral imperative of all faiths, the Council invites companies of all sizes to harness the potential of the private sector to build a fairer, more inclusive, and sustainable economic foundation for the world.The Council is led by a core group of global leaders, known as Guardians for Inclusive Capitalism, who meet annually with Pope Francis and Cardinal Turkson.

Ajay Banga, President and CEO of Mastercard is among the The Guardians. Banga has refused to respond to issues in the public domain which concern the. conduct of his chairman, Richard Haythornthwaite. It is important to remember that it is Mastercard, and not Ajay in his personal capacity, that is part of the Pope's initiative.

In 2015 the investigative website Sarawak Report produced evidence of Richard Haythornthwaite's involvement in Malaysia's 1MDB scandal. Correspondence from Haythornthwaite to Sarawak Report's Clare Rewcastle is far from what one would expect from a Guardian: 

If I knew I wouldn’t tell Sarawak Report

Given the mounds of evidence uncovered about the collusion of PetroSaudi in the 1MDB heist masterminded by Jho Low and now this latest proof from Good Star’s own incorporation records, Sarawak Report wrote last week to the company’s President, the prominent British businessman Rick Haythornthwaite.

Haythornthwaite – perturbed over “campaigning” journalism, but not about his company’s activities

Haythornthwaite is, among other things, also the Chairman of the UK energy giant Centrica and MasterCard Worldwide.  We asked if he knew of PetroSaudi’s letter claiming that it owns Good Star and if he had authorised the company to make such a claim?

Replying personally, Haythornthwaite expressed “considerable concern” about “questionable” activities.

However, it turned out that it was not the irregularities connected to his own company which were causing his concerns, but rather his opinion that Sarawak Report is a “blogger” “rather than an objective journalist with a desire to understand the full facts behind the matter”.

It was Sarawak Report’s activities which he chose to describe as questionable, rather than PetroSaudi’s:

“Therefore, even if I were to be in possession of information relevant to your query, I would be unwilling to assist you in your questionable activities” Mr Haythornthwaite concluded.

The above and related issues were brought to Banga's attention by this writer. There was no response, and Haythornthwaite remains 1MDB's chairman. 

END 

TO BE READ WITH 

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Mastercard's chairman and PetroSaudi-Two letters complicate matters,as do disclosures in Mastercard SEC announcements

by Ganesh Sahathevan


It was reported earlier this week on this blog and the TerrorFinance Blog that Richard Haythornthwaite, the chairman of Mastercard, has been implicated in the money laundering scheme involving Prince Turki Al-Saud's Petrosaudi. As reported on the Terror Finance Blog, UK regulators are trying hard to look away, in what appears to be an attempt to save Prince Turki.

Meanwhile, Haythornthwaite's Petrosaudi appears to have further implicated itself in the matter by issuing a letter explicitly confirming its ownership of a company named Good Star Ltd,which is an integral part of the theft and money laundering allegations.




Click to Enlarge 


Clare Rewcastle-Brown's Sarawak Report has provided evidence to show that in this letter Haythornthwaite's Petrosaudi has made a claim that is false, and designed to conceal the involvement of the Malaysian businessman Jho Low.
The letter is also contradicted by this commission agreement between Good Star and Tarek Obaid, PetroSaudi's CEO ,published by Sarawak Report, where Obaid is promised a commission for directing investments to Malaysia.


Clearly, Petrosaudi has no interest in paying its CEO a commission for directing investment into Malaysia.
As reported earlier (see story below), Haythornthwaite has denied if not attempted to distance himself from Petrosaudi, at least to Sarawak Report. As shown, that attempt was curious given that his PetroSaudi involvement is disclosed in theNetwork Rail Infrastructure Limited 2012 Annual Report. Now it can be shown that it is also disclosed in a Mastercard SEC disclosure.
The acronym PSI UK Ltd has been used instead of the full form , PetroSaudi International (UK) Ltd, as is the case in the Network Rail annual report.








Mr. Haythornthwaite is Non-Executive Chairman of Centrica PLC, a position he has held since January 2014. He is Chairman of the Operating Businesses of PSI UK Ltd and Chair of the World Wide Web Foundation. From 2006 until 2008, Mr. Haythornthwaite was a partner of Star Capital Partners Limited. From 2001 to 2005, Mr. Haythornthwaite served as Chief Executive Officer and Director for Invensys plc and, from 1997 to 2001, he served as Chief Executive, Europe and Asia and then as Group Chief Executive for Blue Circle Industries plc (acquired by Lafarge SA in 2001). His prior positions included serving as a Director of Premier Oil plc, President of BP Venezuela, and General Manager, Magnus Oilfield, BP Exploration. Mr. Haythornthwaite is Chairman of Southbank Centre Board. Within the last five years, he also served as Non-Executive Chairman of Network Rail and as a director of Land Securities Group plc



The 1 MDB issue has now spread toa number of jurisdictions, given that there have been 
questionable transactions involving 1 MDB and PetroSaudi in the UK, Malaysia , the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore. Subsequently there are investigations under way in a number of jurisdictions, which directly or indirectly concern these transactions.
In the latest of these the Federal Court Of Australia has ordered the winding up of fund manager reported to have been entrusted with some USD 2 billion of 1 MDB money,being the proceeds of some business dealings with PetroSaudi.

This cannot be a good look for any company in the business of providing transaction services, let alone one with the worldwide reach of Mastercard. The company needs to provide shareholders and the public an explanation ,quickly.

END

First published at Terror Finance Blog

by Ganesh Sahathevan

Richard Haythornthwaite, the chairman of Mastercard,  has been implicated in the money
laundering scheme involving Prince Turki Al-Saud previously reported here. As reported,
that scheme has involved the apparent theft of billions of dollars from
the Malaysian sovereign fund,1 MDB Bhd.

The investigate news site Sarawak Report in its latest edition of an ongoing investigation
into Turki's Petrosaudi has reported:

If I knew I wouldn’t tell Sarawak Report

Given the mounds of evidence now apparent about the collusion of PetroSaudi in the 
1MDB heist masterminded by Jho Low and this latest proof from Good Star’s own incorporation 
records, Sarawak Report wrote last week to the company’s President, the prominent British 
businessman Rick Haythornthwaite.

Haythornthwaite is also the Chairman of the UK energy giant Centrica.  We asked if he knew of 
PetroSaudi’s letter claiming that it owns Good Star and if he had authorised the company to make 
such a claim?

In his response to Sarawak Report 's editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown Haythornthwaite said among
other things:

Dear Mrs Rewcastle

Having now done some research into your background, it is clear that you are an active
campaigning blogger rather than an objective journalist with a desire to understand the true
facts behind this matter.
That your email to me contains fundamental factual errors – not least suggesting 
that I am, or have ever been, chairman of PetroSaudi International – reinforces my 
concerns about your credibility.

Therefore, even if I were to be in possession of information relevant to your query, 
I would be unwilling to assist you in your questionable activities.

Haythornthwaite's apparent denial is interesting  given this disclosure of his CV in  the
 Network Rail Infrastructure Limited  2012 Annual Report :

Rick Haythornthwaite Chairman

 Rick Haythornthwaite, 55, has been the Company’s Non-Executive Chairman since July 2009
 having joined the Board in March 2009 as a Non-Executive Director. He was Chief Executive of
Invensys plc, from 2001 to 2005. He was also previously Group Chief Executive of Blue Circle
Industries and spent 18 years with BP in various senior roles. He is currently
Non-Executive Chairman of MasterCard Inc, a Senior Advisor to STAR Capital Partners and 
President of PetroSaudi International (UK) Ltd. His previous non-executive roles
included Board membership of ICI, Land Securities and Lafarge. In the voluntary sector,
he is Chairman of the Southbank Centre and Chairman of the World Wide Web Foundation.
Rick will retire from the Board at the Company’s annual general meeting (AGM) on 19 July 2012.
Appointed 23 March 2009

While Haythornthwaite might get away with saying "  even if I were to be in 
possession of information relevant to your query, I would be unwilling to assist you
 in your questionable activities" to Rewcastle-Brown's Sarawak Report, it is not a 
position he can maintain with regards Mastercard, its shareholders, and the relevant 
authorities, in the US, UK and other jurisdictions that are investigating the 1 MDB matter.

END 

See also « Malaysia's Deputy PM Implicates Wells Fargo In a Money Dirtying Scheme | Main

Posted by Ganesh Sahathevan at 9:14 PM