A Singapore court has sentenced Malaysian John Soh Chee Wen — who was found guilty of masterminding the manipulation of three penny stocks that eventually collapsed and wiped off S$8 billion (RM26.23 billion) in market capitalisation in 2013 — to 36 years in jail. His main accomplice Quah Su Ling, another Malaysian, was given 20 years.

The Edge Says: Singapore gets it right — Severe punishment is the best deterrent against future commercial crimes

The Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) is silent after its third six-month special exemption from Bursa Malaysia for the 25% public shareholding spread in FGV Holdings Bhd expired on Aug 3 2022.

It continues to mop up more shares on the open market in an apparent attempt to privatise FGV on the cheap despite high palm oil prices and record profits.

Felda and privatisation of FGV: No end in sight

KUALA LUMPUR (April 17): To compound or not to compound may very well be the question when it comes to compoundable offences. The decision to compound the four executives in the Serba Dinamik Holdings Bhd case has raised a myriad of questions, thoughts, and opinions.

As a general princi...

MSWG CEO: What is the reason for the decision to compound in Serba Dinamik case?

KUALA LUMPUR (April 5): Whilst Gamuda is still considering and deliberating the offer from Amanat Lebuhraya Rakyat Berhad (ALR), and we will duly announce our decision on their offer immediately after our Board has made a decision on it, we would like to make the following comment(s):

Gamuda says everyone wins with ALR's takeover offer

KUALA LUMPUR (Feb 8): Last Friday (Feb 4), I took my children to the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur to be vaccinated. Like all parents, whether a pandemic was in progress or not, my wife and I were understandably anxious. Indeed we are always anxious. We worry about the state of the world our children are growing up in and about the future they may have to inhabit. We want the best for them and we live in the hope that somehow, things will get better. We steel ourselves to be ready for anything but we weren't prepared for what awaited us that day.  As expatriate parents, understandably, our anxiousness had added dimensions to it.

A pleasant surprise during my children’s vaccination

Serba Dinamik Bhd’s standoff with market regulators and two major accounting firms over its delayed financial statements is becoming a joke. But it is definitely not funny.

To recap, the problem surfaced after its long-time external auditor KPMG highlighted discrepancies involving trans...

End the standoff: Serba Dinamik should make EY review public to prove it has nothing to hide

KUALA LUMPUR (Nov 16): Effective Jan 1, 2022, a proposal to remove tax exemption on income derived from foreign sources and received in Malaysia by Malaysian residents under Paragraph 28, Schedule 6 of the Income Tax Act (ITA) 1967 was announced in the recent Budget 2022.

Look into issues in proposed tax on foreign-sourced income

Money laundering is a process of converting cash or property derived from illegal activities to give it a legitimate appearance. It is a process to clean "dirty" money in order to disguise its criminal origin.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) is empowered to enforce recovery of stolen assets via the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 (AMLATFPUAA 2001).

Understanding money laundering and asset recovery strategies

There are views now being promoted that any prescriptive regulations or employment requirements for vaccination status on individuals militate against the liberty of a person to choose NOT to be vaccinated. And further this is unconstitutional.

Does the Federal Constitution protection of fundamental liberty mean that laws employer cannot prescribe vaccination against Covid-19 be imposed?

MERDEKA!

On the 31st of August 2021, Malaysia will celebrate 64 years of independence. Over the last two years, the usual fanfare associated with the occasion (among others) has been replaced with quieter celebrations at home under what seems to be a perpetual state of lockdown.

Merdeka, in the midst of a pandemic

There is a call to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate allegations of interference on the judiciary. Such a call is wrong and must be rejected.

Setting up of RCI to investigate judiciary is unconstitutional

While grappling with the Covid-19 pandemic, Malaysia has also gone through a very toxic and stormy period of political crisis since the Sheraton coup took place in February 2020. Seventeen months after the parliamentary coup, we have yet another unelected government led by the ninth prime minister (PM), and third in three years, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

An idea of economic governance for new PM

If Daniel Moss of Bloomberg has accurate facts on his hand by just working harder to look at the latest ranking of the Fragile States Index (FSI 2021), he would not have been gloating in his article that Malaysia is staggering down the road to failed statehood.

The injustice of stereotyping Malaysia as a failed state

KUALA LUMPUR (July 1): The rakyat are grateful to the government for the various assistance given to the rakyat affected by Covid-19, as well as the implementation of the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK).

Daily Covid-19 infections in Malaysia have exceeded 4,000 for many months, while deaths from the pandemic have also been rising.

Malaysia must make Covid-19 tests mandatory to all, in order to capture, isolate asymptomatic cases and prevent them from spreading the virus

Approved road transport logistics companies will obtain “fleet cards” from select fuel retailers to purchase subsidised fuel under the diesel subsidy rationalisation programme, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said.

Approved logistics players to get diesel fleet cards amid subsidy rationalisation

PKR Information chief Fahmi Fadzil said no specific names were discussed regarding the leadership of the Sabah PKR State Leadership Council (MPN) at a special meeting with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim on Saturday.

No specific names discussed for Sabah PKR State Leadership Council head, says Fahmi

Efforts to reform the Bretton Woods institutions – the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank – are progressing, albeit slowly. In December, the IMF Board of Governors approved a 50% increase in member quotas, which will reduce its reliance on borrowed resources, and the World Bank has re...

The Frontiers Of Growth : How to Govern the Bretton Woods Institutions Better

A highly anticipated Bitcoin software update called the “halving” has been completed, dealing a potential blow to the companies that make money by ensuring that the digital currency functions smoothly and securely.

Bitcoin ‘halving’ cuts supply of new tokens in threat to miners

A Philippine freight railway project may be built with the support of the US and Japan, an official in charge of it said, as Manila seeks alternative financing deals after dropping funding talks with China.

Philippines wants US, Japan to take over rail deal eyed by China

The World Bank on Friday said that 11 countries have pledged to contribute over US$11 billion (RM52.62 billion) to new hybrid capital and portfolio guarantee instruments designed to expand the bank's financing capacity by US$70 billion over a decade to tackle climate change, pandemics and other global challenges.

World Bank wins US$11b in pledges to boost lending for climate, global crises

Shareholders of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) agreed this week on the importance of addressing challenges faced by low-income countries, many of which are facing unsustainable debt burdens, IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Friday.

IMF concerned about debt, fiscal challenges facing low-income countries

The ringgit is likely to trade in the same range of around 4.78 against the US dollar next week, as the situation in the Middle East will continue to be under scrutiny by investors, said an analyst.

Ringgit likely to trade around 4.78 versus greenback next week

Attention this week will be on the March inflation rate, with the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) slated to put out Consumer Price Index (CPI) — the key gauge for inflation — data on Thursday.

Inflation edged up by a higher-than-expected 1.8% i...

The Week Ahead: Eyes on March inflation, US 1Q GDP and tech earnings

Persistent inflation and higher-for-longer interest rates were cited as key risks to financial stability in the Federal Reserve's (Fed) latest survey of US central bank contacts, with geopolitical troubles and the 2024 US presidential election also mentioned as "a potentially significant source of shocks".

Fed survey cites inflation, US election as key financial stability risks

Former inspector general of police Tun Mohammed Hanif Omar died at 2.15am on Saturday. He was 85.

Former IGP Tun Hanif Omar passes away

The long-awaited Energy Exchange Malaysia (Enegem) has finally been introduced, along with guidelines on cross-border electricity sales announced by the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (Petra) last Monday for exports of green electricity from Malaysia to Singapore and Thailand.

Enegem: Malaysia edges closer to RE exports

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim arrived in Kota Kinabalu on Friday night for a one-day working visit to the state.

Anwar's plane landed at Terminal Two, Kota Kinabalu International Airport at 11.40pm, where he was greeted by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor.

Anwar arrives in Kota Kinabalu for one-day visit

Attention this week will be on the March inflation rate, with the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) slated to put out Consumer Price Index (CPI) — the key gauge for inflation — data on Thursday.

Inflation edged up by a higher-than-expected 1.8% i...

The Nasdaq and the S&amp;P 500 ended lower on Friday as Netflix shares weighed, but American Express (AmEx) kept the Dow afloat after quarterly earnings from both companies, while growing pessimism that the Federal Reserve (Fed) would cut interest rates soon also dented sentiment.

Nasdaq, S&P tumble as Netflix, chip stocks drag; AmEx boosts Dow

Israel's apparent strike on Iran after days of vacillation was small and appeared calibrated to dial back risks of a major war, even if the sheer fact it happened at all shattered a taboo of direct attacks that Tehran broke days earlier.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's war cabinet had initially approved plans for a strike on Monday night inside Iranian territory to respond forcefully to last Saturday's missile and drones from Iran, but held back at the last-minute, three sources with knowledge of the situation said.

Israel's Iran attack carefully calibrated after internal splits, US pressure

A Philippine freight railway project may be built with the support of the US and Japan, an official in charge of it said, as Manila seeks alternative financing deals after dropping funding talks with China.

A highly anticipated Bitcoin software update called the “halving” has been completed, dealing a potential blow to the companies that make money by ensuring that the digital currency functions smoothly and securely.

Parties in the Unity Government have their methods to ensure a win in the Kuala Kubu Baharu by-election next month, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Ahmad Zahid, who is also Barisan Nasional (BN) chairman, said this was discussed at the Unity Government secretariat meeting on Wednesday.

Unity Govt parties have ways to ensure victory in Kuala Kubu Baharu polls — Ahmad Zahid

The Bank of Japan (BOJ) must tread cautiously in raising interest rates, as some indicators of inflation expectations remain short of its 2% target, the International Monetary Fund's Japan mission chief Nada Choueiri said on Friday.

IMF urges Bank of Japan to tread cautiously in raising interest rates