The Trump-Najib meeting will add to speculation that Donald Trump colluded with the Russians to get himself elected.
That any person under investigation by the FBI and the DOJ for what has been described as the biggest case of money laundering ever would be invited anywhere near the White House would raise concerns within any government , but here there is a further ,larger complication.
Malaysia has had good relations with Russia going back to at least the early 70s, and Najib has only enhanced that relationship.
The fact that Putin has been able to count on Najib to frustrate Australian and Dutch attempts to properly prosecute the downing of Malaysia's MH 17 ought to have made that obvious to even to the casual observer.
That Najib would then be invited to the White House despite being under investigation by the FBI and DOJ ,while Trump and his associates are under investigation by the FBI and others for colluding with the Russians to have himself elected as president raises all sorts of questions, which one would assume Trump would rather they never be raised.
And then there is the further complication of Najib and close associates being investigated by French prosecutors for bribery in connection to the award of submarines to France's DCNS (since renamed Naval Group).That matter has been linked to the murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Shaariibuu .
Ms Shaariibuu was murdered in Kuala Lumpur while demanding her share of commissions on contracts for the purchase or Russian MIGs.
Not surprising then that there is strong speculation that Trump has been a beneficiary of Najib's stolen billions. END
WASHINGTON/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump plans to meet Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is embroiled in a corruption scandal at home, on Sept. 12 at the White House, officials from both countries confirmed on Thursday.
The U.S. Justice Department has been conducting a criminal probe of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a fund founded by Najib, which is facing money-laundering probes in at least six countries, including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore.
In civil lawsuits, the Justice Department has sought to seize a total of about $1.7 billion in assets it says were bought with misappropriated 1MDB funds.
Malaysia's foreign ministry said in a statement that Najib will undertake the visit following an invitation from Trump.
"The two leaders are expected to discuss areas of mutually beneficial cooperation, including national security, the global fight against terrorism and extremism, and trade and investment that will benefit our nations and our peoples," the foreign ministry said in the statement.
The United States sees Najib as a key partner in its fight against radical Islamists.
But that image has been damaged recently after Najib was linked to the 1MDB scandal, and his party overtly supported right-wing groups for political gains ahead of the polls that must be held by mid-2018.
Trump looks forward to "discussing ways to strengthen and broaden our bilateral relationship and expand regional cooperation with one of America’s closest partners in Southeast Asia," said a White House statement announcing Najib's Sept. 12 visit.
Slideshow (2 Images)
The Wall Street Journal, which first reported the plan for a meeting, said Najib would likely use the White House visit to try to play down the possibility of further investigations into 1MDB.
Relations between Malaysia and the United Stated soured last year after the Justice Department filed lawsuits in connection with the 1MDB scandal and Najib sought to strengthen ties with China.
U.S. relations with Malaysia, which the United States sees as an important partner in standing up to China’s extensive territorial claims in East Asia, had improved under former President Barack Obama, who in 2014 became the first U.S. president to visit the country in 50 years.
Najib was a key ally in Obama's strategic pivot to Asia, and was part of the collapsed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pact.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is also expected to visit Malaysia in the coming months, local media reports said, although this has not been officially confirmed.
Reporting By Mark Hosenball, Steve Holland, David Brunnstrom and Praveen Menon; Editing by Dan Grebler
There has been a lot of talk (I suspect from Penny's friends, family,supporters and office) about how Malaysians who are dual citizens "automatically" lose their Malaysian citizenship. This is not true,and the relevant provisions in the Malaysian Constitution make it clear that revocation of citizenship is at the discretion of the Malaysian Government.The reason is simple: The Malaysian Government does not want to lose its rights and jurisdiction over citizens, who may claim the protection of a foreign power. Stripping dual citizens of their Malaysian citizenship is therefore punishment for breaching the laws of the land,and done in a manner that the wrong doer is often left stateless, and/or loses rights to ,among other tings, property in Malaysia. In any event, it is a penalty for a wrong,and hence the process of formal renunciation which allows a legal ,happy parting of ways. Senator Wong may therefore have committed an offence in Malaysia. That too is factor that may disqualify her from being a senator.
by Gamesh Sahathevan The IS or IS linked siege of Marawi has made life easier for Australian security agencies and their "experts" for it has provided a focal point for activity. To paraphrase Sir Humphrey Appleby,:
“Politicians ,their security chiefs,and their "experts" like to panic. They need activity. It's their substitute for achievement.”
Of course, that activity ought not be too physically and mentally challenging;it needs to be carefully managed so that work is limited to interviews on the ABC, preferably with Virginia Trioli and Leigh Sales, who tend to do the talking and ask few questions, expect to have the "expert" confirm that they have just said.
Meanwhile, in the real world, this map provides guidance to where jihadi catchments are located in this region, and from where working cells may be formed ,given the presence of strong passive support networks.While the map is based on Jemaah Islamiah activity, it does also provide a description of where passive support networks from which jihadi cells grow, are located.
(Located at https://terrortrendsbulletin.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/3.png)
For example,the Mantiqi One area which encompasses Peninsula Malaysia is the location of a number of cells, the best known being the one in Ulu Tiram which served as the base for the Bali bombers.
Marawi is clearly located in the Mantiqi 3 region,which of course includes the long established Mindanao catchment. Centrally located are the Malaysian catchments in the peninsular and Borneo,which continues to serve as a meeting point or distribution centre for manpower and supplies to the other catchments.
What ought to be of concern to Australians is the proximity of the Indonesian Mantiqi 2 catchments ,from which personnel can be easily moved onto the Australian mainland. Of greater concern is the Mantiqi 4 catchment, which includes West Papua,where jihadis are known, and remain active.
While the extension of Mantiqi 4 into Northern Australia is not of immediate concern, it would be very naive to believe that there are not in existence passive support networks
END
REFERENCE
(NOTE: The article below this by one G.Barton should be read for its content only.The conclusions, which are essentially a plea for further funding for "deradicalization" projects run by the author, can be ignored)
The following is an extract from a Monash press release(see full form below) quoting "terrorism expert" and lead investigator Greg Barton:
GTReC researchers found Australian militants and terrorists frequently consulted and consumed online extremist material but other factors played far more important roles in radicalising them. Their real world social networks of friends and family, and access to individuals who fought overseas or attended terrorist training camps were far more influential in affecting their thought and behaviour than materials circulating in the virtual world.
Lead chief investigator Professor Greg Barton said relationships, in the sense of social networks, belonging, and the allure of an enhanced sense of identity, play an important role in violent.
Australian jihadis are said to be very well prepared, and the best equipped for battlefield duties. As reported in The Australian:
THERE was something about the six Australians that made them stand out. Thousands of foreigners have ventured into Syria and Iraq during the past year for their journey to jihad; but, for locals who live along the border between Turkey and Syria, this group was different. As they sat drinking coffee before making their final walk into a foreign war, these Australians stood out: they were supremely confident, well-dressed and well-resourced. “It was clear they were not rookies,” says one local who watched them sitting at the coffee shop in Turkey about 50m from the border with Syria. “They seemed to know what they were doing.”
Locals watching the group were struck by several things. First, only one of them spoke Arabic and had to translate everything for the other five. He seemed to be their leader and looked to be in his 40s while the others were younger, in their 30s. Every so often he walked away from the group to talk on the phone, as if for privacy.
Second, they were clearly well prepared; they wore new, strong-looking walking boots, a contrast to many of the bedraggled jihadists who depart from this cafe clothed in little more than their well-worn attire and a desire to join the battle for Islam between Sunnis and Shi’ites. Good shoes and bags full of supplies were low on the list of priorities for those zealots.
Observers who saw the group of Australians said they seemed prepared for a long assignment. But what stood out most was their demeanour. They were calm, confident and relaxed. Locals noticed they all had Australian passports.
They were, one local commented, physically very large — he found them intimidating — and they wore the crocheted woollen caps popular with some Muslim men. All were “very beardy”.
(Unholy foot soldiers in a foreign fight THE AUSTRALIAN JULY 12, 2014)
It is obvious that these Australian jihadis had been trained professionally, were well funded, and had support of strong network of passive supporters. It is time for the Government, law enforcement agencies, and Muslim leaders, to tell us who these people are, and what is being done to eradicate the threat they pose this society.
The key findings from a four-year Australian Research Council-funded collaborative research project on terrorist radicalisation in Australia by researchers from Monash University’s Global Terrorism Research Centre (GTReC) will be released on Thursday 8 August.
The project, conducted in partnership with Victoria Police, Australian Federal Police, Department of Premier and Cabinet and the Victorian Department of Justice, is the most significant and in-depth examination of radicalisation undertaken in Australia.
Understanding Terrorism in an Australian Context: Radicalisation, De-radicalisation and Counter-radicalisationfocused on developing the understanding of radicalisation in an Australian context and sought international perspectives to enhance the understanding of violent extremism in Australia and relevant international threats.
Project members conducted over 100 interviews, including current and/or former violent extremists, in Australia, Indonesia, Europe, North America and elsewhere, from various ideologies (jihadist,far-right, far-left, IRA and Tamil Tigers). Also interviewed were many of the world’s leading counter-terrorism practitioners and analysts, and representatives from a variety of community groups, canvassing their attitudes on why some individuals become radicalised and ways community, government and religious stakeholders might work together to counter violent extremism.
The role of the internet and on-line materials in radicalising some individuals was also thoroughly investigated. Online sources provided both the lethal inspiration and the technical know-how for Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik’s anti-Islam motivated terrorism in Oslo and Utoya Island in July 2011, in the attack Tamerlan and Johar Tsarnaev perpetrated at the Boston Marathon in April 2013 and the brutal murder of off-duty British soldier Leigh Rigby in Woolwich, London, in May 2013.
GTReC researchers found Australian militants and terrorists frequently consulted and consumed online extremist material but other factors played far more important roles in radicalising them. Their real world social networks of friends and family, and access to individuals who fought overseas or attended terrorist training camps were far more influential in affecting their thought and behaviour than materials circulating in the virtual world.
Lead chief investigator Professor Greg Barton said relationships, in the sense of social networks, belonging, and the allure of an enhanced sense of identity, play an important role in violent extremism.
“Academics like to focus on ideas and ideology, but emotions, social bonds and experiences also play a crucial role. For many who become caught up in violent extremism social networks are much more important than ideology," Professor Barton said.
The findings also highlighted the importance of using, where possible, non-coercive measures to work with vulnerable individuals and groups to deflect and dissuade them from using violence to achieve their goals. These measures, commonly described as ‘CVE’ (countering violent extremism) initiatives, are becoming more prominent in Australia and overseas as many countries’ security services have observed that such ‘hard’ responses, by themselves, have often been ineffective, sometimes paradoxically increasing, rather than deterring the prospects of radicalising individuals. GTReC’s research highlights the effectiveness of including the social networks of radicalised or vulnerable individuals in countering violent extremism in both Australia and elsewhere.
CVE approaches prioritise interventions that are well ‘upstream’, averting problems before they are fully formed and give rise to criminal behaviour. Recognising key signs, or indicators, of radicalisation is an essential element of CVE. To this end GTReC researchers have developed a model that will enable a diverse range of practitioners to collectively recognise signs of radicalisation through observing indicative changes in behaviour, thinking and social relationships that, when occurring together and trending over time, point to reasons for concern and the need for some sort of intervention.
CVE also requires ‘downstream’ initiatives focusing on rehabilitation and helping individuals and groups disengage from violent extremism and re-engage with mainstream society. All forms of CVE require attention to both the individual and their environment.
For more information contact Glynis Smalley, Monash Media & Communications + 61 3 9903 4843 or 0408 027 848.
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.
by Ganesh Sahathevan Resposting some comments this writer made in April last year
First, Moody's speaking as if IPIC's LSE statement does not matter:
Moody’s Investors Service analyst Christian de Guzman called default a “nuclear option” that would hurt the reputation and market access of both IPIC and 1MDB. He added the standoff so far between the two appears to be a pressure tactic to get the other to make the payment. “It’s really about making the other side sweat,” Mr. de Guzman said.
KUALA LUMPUR: If troubled 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) defaults on its US$1 billion loan from Abu Dhabi's IPIC, that could trigger cross defaults on the fund's other debts, including some bonds, according to the fund's president and group executive director Arul Kanda Kandasamy.
Though 1MDB has declared just four days ago that it is free of all its bank and short-term debts, it still has a RM5 billion sukuk with a government guarantee, another RM2.4 billion Bandar Malaysia sukuk, a RM800 million loan from the Social Security Organisation or Socso in short, and in his words, "the one that everyone is worried about", a US$3 billion bond the fund issued in 2013 to fund the Tun Razak Exchange development.
In an exclusive interview with The Edge Malaysia, published in the weekly's cover story for the week of April 25-May 1, a clearly frustrated Arul told the publication's Executive Editor Kathy Fong and Associate Editor Jose Barrock what had derailed the asset for debt settlement with IPIC, which he thought was a done deal and the final piece of the jigsaw to rescue 1MDB from its massive debt woes -- and what could happen next now with IPIC's declaration of default against 1MDB.
The binding term sheet 1MDB signed with IPIC in June 2015 got the cash-strapped 1MDB then the US$1 billion it needed to settle some immediate obligations, including a US$975 million syndicated loan led by Deutsche Bank AG.
There is one crucial item on the term sheet, which is that 1MDB has to transfer the amount that IPIC paid, the cash plus the interests — US$1.15 billion — by Dec 31, 2015, according to Arul. As such, he said: "actually, we were in default since December". But he questioned why IPIC waited until now to make the announcement.
"It should have been made immediately after the default as it’s a large amount. Why wait until April to say you don’t own Aabar BVI?"
As to the US$3.5 billion worth of payments that 1MDB made to Aabar BVI (Aabar Investments PJS Ltd), the company with the near identical name to IPIC's subsidiary Aabar Investments PJS, Arul said: "What we cannot discount is there could actually be fraud...a massive fraud...and maybe there was collaboration from our side".
He also spoke about wanting to quit 1MDB, and how the issues at the fund was not his and "not what I signed up for". "I'm very tired. I'm doing over and above what I had signed up to do."
Pick up a copy of The Edge Malaysia today from newsstands near you to find out what could have caused the IPIC-1MDB deal to turn sour, why 1MDB thinks that IPIC holds corporate responsibility too for the US$3.5 billion that was diverted into Aabar BVI for not calling foul earlier if it hadn't received the monies, and more.
Also, read about what the publication has to say about whether 1MDB was cheated or if it was a party to the fraud.
P/S: Don't forget — The Edge Malaysia can also be downloaded from Apple's Newsstand and Androids' Google Play.
The Government is pleased to announce four new appointments to the Board of Taxation. Mr Michael Andrew has been appointed as Chair with Mrs Peggy Lau Flux, Mr Mark Pizzacalla and Mr Craig Yaxley appointed as members of the Board.
The Board of Taxation consists of up to 10 members and is a non-statutory advisory body charged with contributing a business and broader community perspective in improving the design of taxation laws and their operation.
Mr Michael Andrew brings a deep understanding of the business community and tax law from his time as Chairman and CEO of KPMG International from May 2011 to July 2014 and Chairman of KPMG Australia from 2007 to 2011. He is currently the Co-Chair of the Australian B20 Working group on Anti-Corruption and Transparency.
A new verb, "Enron-ed" was coined by John M. Cunningham, the former Arthur Andersen Director in the Seattle Office, to describe the demise of Arthur Andersen. KPMG International ,the Swiss Cooperative under which KPMG partnerships worldwide come together to offer audit and other services under the direction of a Global Executive Leadership Team, has found itself entangled in Malaysia's 1 MDB sovereign wealth fund scandal. It appears that in managing the crisis it now faces, KPMG may be managing its 1 MDB documents in a manner similar to Arthur Andersen and its documents related to the Enron assignment which led to the effective demise of that firm which was once considered the gold standard in auditing. The Sarawak Report website that has in recent weeks published 1 MDB emails that reveal gross financial impropriety, recently published email correspondence between 1 MDB and its former auditor, the KPMG partnership in Malaysia,where KPMG has been shown to provide directions on how 1 MDB's books should be re- presented in order to receive an unqualified audit opinion. 1 MDB is now unable to repay its loans worth USD 10 billion and counting, and it is likely that the company will be liquidated, with its debts assumed by the Malaysian Government which has effectively guaranteed 1 MDB's borrowing. KPMG International has been queried about its potential liability for the possible if not probable civil and criminal claims arising from the 1 MDB scandal, and its general counsel Tom Whetered has insisted that the Cooperative offers no client services and has nothing to do with 1 MDB. However that is a denial based on form for everything in substance says otherwise. To begin with, KPMG International counts as its revenue fees from the Malaysian partnership,and that will include fees from the 1 MDB assignment. In fact its recently retired chairman , Michael Andrews, identified Malaysia as a target market for growth when he took on that role. Then the Singapore managing partner Sai Choy Tham, who is also a member of KPMG International's Global Executive Team , is also Regional Head of Audit, South East Asia. Mr Tham has been queried about his communication with the KL office with regards the 1 MDB emails revealed by Sarawak Report,and has been asked specifically if communications in the past weeks has included directions about the management of 1 MDB documents. He has refused to confirm or deny that he has issued directions in that regard, in his capacity as Regional Head Of Audit and member of the KPMG Global Executive Team. The queries put to Mr Tham were also put to KPMG International chairman John Veihmeyer, who has also chosen to remain silent. Meanwhile ,KPMG's partners in Malaysia have , in response to the Sarawak Report expose, insisted that all they have done they have done in accordance with international accounting standards. Each of the Big 4 has its own auditing procedures that are considered proprietary, and in insisting that the 1 MDB audit was executed in accordance with international standards the partners in Malaysia are really saying that they have acted in accordance with KPMG International's established norms and procedures. Put in another way, the Malaysian partners are insisting that they have acted as directed by KPMG International, even as KPMG International seeks to distance itself from them. END
As reported by The Daily Telegraph,14 August 2017, quoting Senator Penelope (Penny) Wong Yin Yen: “I was well aware when I stood for parliament I would have to renounce any rights I may have had to Malaysian citizenship and did so prior to nominating, as is confirmed in the statement by the ALP national secretary However, as reported here yesterday, Penny Wong has more than just a right to Malaysian citizenship, she is one by birth.It does look as if the newly appointed ALP National Secretary is misleading the AEC,Parliament and voters with regards Penelope Wong Ying Yen's Malaysian citizenship. END Reference
by Ganesh Sahathevan As reported by The Daily Telegraph,14 August 2017, quoting Senator Penelope (Penny) Wong Yin Yen: “I was well aware when I stood for parliament I would have to renounce any rights I may have had to Malaysian citizenship and did so prior to nominating, as is confirmed in the statement by the ALP national secretary,” Ms Wong told The Daily Telegraph yesterday, yet still refused to release the documentary proof. However, as previously reported on this blog, Penny Wing is a Malaysian citizen; she has more than mere rights to Malaysian citizenship. Penny Wong is a lawyer, and would know well enough the distinction between renouncing "any rights (she) may have had to Malaysian citizenship", and actually renouncing Malaysian citizenship.
She needed to have renounced her Malaysian citizenship, not merely renounce any rights to Malaysian citizenship. In fact there does not appear to be any mechanism within Malaysian law to renounce a right to Malaysian citizenship. Her parents would have been required by law to register her birth at the nearest Malaysian and/or Sabah State Registry office. She is a Malaysian citizen,and has more than a mere right to Malaysian citizenship.The reason is simple.As far as Malaysia is concerned, you are either a citizen, or you are not. END