KUALA LUMPUR (March 21): The DAP’s Tony Pua asked Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani as to why the government has not made a claim for the US$1 billion worth of assets being seized by the United States which were allegedly acquired with funds laundered and stolen from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

In an open letter to Johari today, Pua, who is DAP national publicity secretary and MP for Petaling Jaya Utara said that he stood by his accusation that the former was “covering up for the Prime Minister”.

Pua said that earlier this year, Johari had told the media repeatedly that the Finance Ministry (MOF) would not take over any of the 1MDB’s debts. 

“This was a specific response to my question raised in mid-January as to whether the MOF took over 1MDB’s RM800 million loan from SOCSO and RM2.4 billion sukuk.

“It was only when I received the convoluted parliamentary reply in the current sitting, I could conclude that MOF did indeed take over these debts.  The sad thing about the reply from the Minister of Finance was that it was clearly written in a way to obfuscate the truth,” he said.

The Opposition lawmaker said that he had also proven with facts published in the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Report, extracted from the Auditor-General’s (AG) report that more than 87% or RM2.8 billion of the RM3.2 billion of 1MDB RE borrowings never went towards the development of 1MDB’s real estate properties. 

“Hence I asked why did the MOF not insist that these advances to 1MDB be repaid?”

Pua pointed out that Johari  went on to tell an audience at an MIDF lunch talk that the Malaysian government couldn’t press charges against 1MDB personalities “without complete information”. 

“You supported your claim by saying the the Auditor-General and the PAC could not point to anything specifically wrong with 1MDB.

“Again, I pointed to specific sections of the PAC Report which clearly concluded that the 1MDB top management has on dozens of occasions – lied and misled the Board of Directors, defied the decisions of the Board or worse, acted without the Board’s authority, all of which are legal offences. 

“The PAC even asked the authorities to investigate the CEO, Datuk Shahrol Halmi and other officers involved for the above wrongdoings.  However, a year later, Datuk Shahrol Halmi remains comfortably as of today, a Director of PEMANDU agency in the Prime Minister’s Department,” said Pua.

He said that Johari in an open letter to him had written that “as far as the government is concerned, there is nothing to hide and nothing to cover up.”

“Then, I ask you, if so, why do you not propose for the Cabinet refusing to declassify the ‘harmless’ Auditor-General’s Report?

“However, instead of answering all of the above questions, you ask me to “give it a rest”,” he told Johari.

Pua said the the biggest farce must be the “Super-Taskforce” investigating 1MDB comprising of the Attorney-General, the Inspector-General of Police, the MACC Chief Commissioner and the Bank Negara Governor  set up by the Prime Minister himself. 

“Did you forget that just as the then Attorney-General discovered shenanigans relating to the Prime Minister, he was promptly “retired” on spurious ‘health’ reasons? 

“As if on queue (sic), the new Attorney-General effectively dissolved the “Super-Taskforce” and even went to the extent of instructing the MACC to stop any further investigations on the matter,” wrote Pua. 

Pua also reminded Johari that there was a difference between ‘serving the nation’ and ‘serving the Prime Minister’, by covering up the scandal so that the truth gets swept under the carpet and the crooks get away scot free.

“Do you not realise that we are now a renown kleptocracy and how damaging that is for our country?  Everyone who has taken an interest in the affairs of Malaysia knows from the documents presented by the United States Department of Justice and the Singapore Courts that US$731 million from 1MDB, found its way through dodgy investment funds and deceptive offshore companies into the personal bank account of Dato’ Seri Najib Razak.

“Do you not think that to “serve the nation”, we must work to revive our heavily-tarnished global reputation?  And do you not think that the only way we can remove the kleptocracy label from Malaysia is not by sweeping the truth under the carpet but instead ensure that the kleptocrats are charged and appropriately punished?

“In fact, if you really want to take “positive and proactive steps” to help the nation, why haven’t you made a claim for the US$1 billion worth of assets being seized by the United States which were acquired with funds laundered and stolen from 1MDB?  Why is the Government still keeping up the pretences that 1MDB did not lose these billions of dollars?” he said.

Pua said the 1MDB issue does not deserve to be rested because Johari and his fellow Ministers had refused to answer simple questions and more importantly, the crooks who allegedly misappropriated more than US$5 billion are still at large.

“Any elected representative with any sense of morality and integrity, who believes in protecting the interest of the man-on-the-street and who wants justice meted out to criminals who rob the country will never let the matter rest until the truth is found,” he said.