Ganesh Sahathevan

by Ganesh Sahathevan  Malaysia's attorney general, Apandi Ali. Photo: AFP US DOJ 263. The Attorney General of Malaysia publicly stated that he conducted an inquiry into the $681 million in payments. In a press release issued on January 26, 2016, the Malaysian Attorney General confirmed that, “the sum of USD681 million (RM2.08 billion) [was] transferred into the personal account of [MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1] between 22.03.2013 and 10.04.2013,” and that, “in August 2013, a sum of USD620 million (RM2.03 billion) was returned by [MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1]. . . .” The Malaysian Attorney General ultimately characterized the payment of $681 million as a “personal donation to [MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1] from the Saudi royal family which was given to him without any consideration.” 264. Bank records associated with the Tanore Account show that TAN was the beneficial owner of the Tanore Account, from which the $681,000,000 payments to the account of MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1 were made, and that 1MDB OFFICER 3...

by Ganesh Sahathevan In an asset seizure related to the main Red Granite asset seizure action, the US Department Of Justice has also filed a number of other writs.One of these, USA v ALL RIGHT TO AND INTEREST INSYMPHONY CP (PARK LANE) LLC. contains this telling paragraph:  50. A special meeting of the 1MDB Board was held on September 26, 2009, which was attended by 1MDB OFFICERS 1 and 2 and members of the Board. (JHO) LOW also attended this meeting. Just prior to the meeting,   (JHO) LOW spoke by telephone with MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1.  In 2009 the 1 MDB matter had yet to come to public attention,and therefore it is not likely that Jho Low was under surveillance by the DOJ at that point of time. Readers can decide for themselves how then the evidence of that phone clal from Jho Low to Najib was acquired,and what other evidence has been gathered in the process.  END  See also From the WSJ: “No no no,” Mr. Low wrote, according to transcripts of  BlackBerry ...

by Ganesh Sahathevan Malaysia's attorney general, Apandi Ali. Photo: AFP It seems Learned Apandi is annoyed, in a legal sense : The chief editor of Malaysia’s leading independent news portal was charged in court on Friday over “offensive” content in a video featuring a prominent dissident, a move some observers say is aimed at intimidating the public on the eve of a huge anti-government rally. Steven Gan, the chief editor and co-founder of the Malaysiakini portal, pleaded not guilty in a newly formed cyber court to four charges under the country’s Communication and Multimedia Act. The video in question featured footage of a press conference with Khairuddin Abu Hassan, a former member of the ruling National Front coalition who quit his position over Prime Minister Najib Razak’s alleged role in the long-running scandal involving state-owned fund 1MDB. Khairuddin demanded that attorney general Apandi Ali resign over his handling of the multi-billion-dollar scandal. Najib has denied wr...

by Ganesh Sahathevan Monash University and all others associated with it have maintained from Day Zero that Monash in Malaysia is a branch campus, and that therefore studying at Monash in Malaysia is no different from being at the main campus in Clayton, Victoria. Now however, in defence of the decision to take disciplinary action against students who participate in the upcoming Bersih 5 rally, Monash has asserted, even while apologising "unreservedly" for that decision: "...Monash was acting well within its rights as the constitution of a private higher educational institution contains prohibition s on a student in any manner associating with any society, association, organisation, body or group, unless allowed by the Registrar General, whether or not it is established under any law and whether it is within or outside Malaysia." Obviously, Monash Malaysia has a separate existence, separate and apart from Monash in Malaysia.Therefore, it cannot be considered a ...

by Ganesh Sahathevan ANZ 's Shayne Elliot has now told the Financial Times that he was not a director of AMBank when this transaction took place: As FT reported it: "Boards don't review account-opening documents and look at suspicious transaction reporting, obviously, so there was nothing that I saw," said Mr Elliott, who was on AmBank's board between June 2013 and October 2015. "Of course we are nervous about it. But again there is a limit; we just can't turn up and demand things," he added. Not only was Elliot on the board at the relevant time, but he misleads with regards the board's role in accounts such as Najib's. The fact is, in Malaysia, especially where a VIP's  account is involved, the board do review account-opening documents, and if not are made aware of the fact. Where large amounts (in most cases anything  over  RM 1 million) are involved, the board are very interested to know how much,when and where, so as to ensure that t...

Arul Kanda in his own words, the contradictions explained : Malaysia 1MDB still has RM4b in Cayman Island, Arul Kanda now says BY SYED JAYMAL ZAHIID NOVEMBER 14, 2015 UPDATED: NOV 14, 2015 03:49 PM 1MDB President and Group Executive Director, Arul Kanda Kandasamy speaks during the public forum on 1MDB at the PWTC in Kuala Lumpur, November 14, 2015. — Picture by Yusof Mat Isa KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 14 — Close to RM4 billion in fund units remain in 1 Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) investment in the Cayman Islands, the sovereign company’s president Arul Kanda Kandasamy disclosed today, contrary to a previous statement where he said the money had been moved into a Singapore bank account. He said 1MDB had made US$1.4 billion (RM7 billion) on top of the US$1.83 billion investment in the popular British-owned tax haven through a subsidiary Brazen Sky Ltd in 2014, and that the balance has stayed there after the fund redeemed the profit to pay off some of its debt. “Brazen Sky was the end game of t...

by Ganesh Sahathevan Previously reported on this blog: A new allegation :BSI alleges Arul Kanda, 1 MDB, may have tried to pledge assets already charged to the Deutsche Bank consortium Arul Kanda of 1 MDB & Nick Leeson of Barings: Why was Leeson hunted down and convicted while Kanda runs free? And now, even as some details of BSI Bank's role in  the 1MDB theft are being entered into evidence before a Singapore court,  the very same Arul Kanda is on a lecture tour of Australia. Some of those funds have found their way to Australia, but it appears that authorities here prefer not to know.See: Malaysia's 1 MDB scandal: AUSTRAC takes a "see no evil" approach even as Swiss & Singapore regulators investigate END 

by Ganesh Sahathevan The 1MDB scandal is said to the the largest ever case of kleptocracy ,money laundering and theft. ANZ Bank and its associate AMBank of Malaysia have played a central part in the matter, enabling the transfer of billions stolen from 1MDB via the AMBank accounts of PM Najib, who also heads 1MDB. ANZ's chairman is David Gonski. ANd now, coming to UNSW where David Gonski is chancellor,  a "seminar" by 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda, which will explain why the entire 1MDB matter is all quite innocent. END 

by Ganesh Sahathevan  True to form The Star has attempted to spin a low interest loan of RM 55 billion  to finance the    East Coast Rail Line (ECRL)  into some sort of  gift  from China. The project is large but unlike other major projects involving foreign contractors (for example the Petronas PSCs) quotas stipulating  a minimum number of Bumiputera employees ,contracts to local Bumiputera contractors and suppliers and other such conditions enforced pursuant to the affirmative action NEP  are likely to be ignored .China buys its own products from its own suppliers, and employs its own people. Given the magnitude of projects(in addition to the ECRL) Malaysia is handing over to China on a full finance, design and build basis, the African experience of Chinese investment is likely to be replicated in Malaysia ( see Empire Of The Sums,The Economist ). Consequently the Chinese population will grow, reversing the determined effort by UMNO since a...