“Nobody would give you free things or free money. And in Malaysia it must be in exchange for certain favours. Either they expect you to give them something or it has already been granted,” he said.
He said that the law must include sections that requires those who
intend to give such donations to declare their objectives. The donor, he
added, must also have “no interests whatsoever” in dealing with the
government.Phang said that the government’s reply on the issue so far has been shocking, and is akin to giving all political parties a “license to collect”.
“If this area is not carefully and seriously addressed, it will condone very bad practices to have political parties just simply collect [money] from anyone. The gates are left wide open and sets a dangerous precedent,” he warned.
Phang said that during the 6th International Association Of Anti-Corruption Authorities (IAAC) conference recently, he posed this question about political donations in a workshop chaired by IAAC general counsellor Bulelani Ngcuka and attended by eight international rapporteurs.
“Michael Symons, from the Anti-Corruption Consultants of Australia, replied me saying that political donations are normally accepted with conditions.
“He said that unless there is full transparency and that purpose of such donations are made known, there can be no other interpretation but for it to be a corrupt practice,” he added.
Phang urged the Attorney-General, the MACC, and the Prime Minister’s Office to study the issue and consider coming up with strict regulations on the matter.
“We just need one set of rules to cement the issue once and for all. This issue must be handled or it leave a very black mark on this country.
“I feel that the prime minister has been grossly misled and badly advised on this when he said that it was okay to receive political donations,” he said.
‘No element of corruption’
On Oct 11, parliament was told that MACC had cleared Sabah Chief Minister Musa Aman of graft and money-laundering allegations after finding that the over S$16 million (RM40 million) was not meant for the latter’s personal use but for for Sabah Umno.
The minister had also said that the Attorney-General’s Chambers had shelved the matter after finding “no element of corruption” in the case.
The matter first surfaced in 2008 when businessman Michael Chia was allegedly caught red-handed at the Hong Kong International Airport with Singapore currency worth RM40 million in his luggage before he could board a flight to Kuala Lumpur. He was reportedly arrested and charged with money laundering for attempting to smuggle the amount to Malaysia.
On Monday, in a unexpected twist, Nazri told Parliament that, according to the MACC, Chia was never arrested.
Nazri had explained that the RM40 million, which was allegedly meant for Musa, was actually frozen in an investment account in Hong Kong.
Phang today said that both MACC and ICAC should independently come forward to clarify instead of having Nazri explaining the issue.-FMT
IN THE BN STYLE!
We never knew RM40mil was for Sabah UMNO...
Former Umno supreme council member and now independent MP Lajim Ukin today claimed that state party leaders never knew that RM40 million was donated to Sabah Umno.
"I didn't know. We never knew this. We didn't know we had so much money," the Beaufort MP claimed when contacted.
"I was an Umno supreme council member, a member of the Sabah Umno liaison committee and was with Umno from the beginning in 1994 to last July, almost 18 years...
"I only knew when it was announced by the minister in the Prime Minister's Department".Lajim (right), who was Deputy Minister of Housing and Local Government, had defected from Umno to be Pakatan Rakyat-friendly last July.
The MP also alleged that while state Umno leaders did not know about the donation, there was an assumption that funds were obtained by Chief Minister and Sabah Umno chief Musa Aman.
“We don't know were the money was from, but we always thought it was for Musa,” he said.
Musa a 'one man show'
He added that the state leadership was in the dark as "Musa is a one man show".
"Where did the money come from and was tax paid? RM40 million is not a small amount. If I am a businessman, I'd only give RM40 million if my project is worth RM4 billion," he said.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Mohd Nazri Abdul Aziz (left) told Parliament that the RM40 million was a donation for Sabah Umno, and that no elements of corruption were involved. Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, however, refused to disclose the identity of the donor and insisted that the donation was made in a "proper" manner.
Whistleblower website Sarawak Report cited leaked Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) investigation papers when revealing that businessman Micheal Chia was arrested at the Hong Kong Airport for attempting to smuggle SGD16 million in cash into Malaysia.
However, Mohd Nazri said that the funds were in fact in a bank account in Hong Kong and was wired into Malaysia. He also said that the ICAC had probed the matter and took no further action.
Mohd Nazri, who is de facto law minister, also denied that Chia was arrested in the 2008 incident.
The Malaysian Insider today also reported that former BN MP Wilfred Bumburing claimed that the funds were remitted to a personal bank account of “an Umno leader”.
He also claimed that the Umno leader, whom he did not name, was able to withdraw the money “bit by bit”.- malaysiakini
RM40m ‘donation’ held privately by UMNO man,and family members able to withdraw "bit by bit" So, how can RM40mil be UMNO's
Kami tidak tahu RM40j untuk Umno Sabah...
"Saya tidak tahu. Saya tidak pernah tahu perkara ini. Saya tidak tahu kami ada begitu banyak wang."Saya hanya tahu apabila ia diumumkan oleh menteri di jabatan perdana menteri," katanya ketika dihubungi Malaysiakini hari ini.
Sedangkan, beliau merupakan anggota majlis tertinggi Umno dan anggota jawatankuasa perhubungan Umno Sabah selama hampir 18 tahun.
Bekas timbalan menteri perumahan dan kerajaan tempatan itu berpaling tadah dan menjadi MP mesra Pakatan sejak Julai lalu.
MP itu juga mendakwa, walaupun pemimpin Umno tidak mengetahui mengenai sumbangan berkenaan, wujud anggapan bahawa ketua menteri yang juga ketua Umno Sabah, Datuk Seri Musa Aman memperolehi sejumlah sumbangan.- malaysiakini
‘Derma’ RM40j masuk dalam akaun peribadi pemimpin UMNO, kata bekas MP BN...
“Derma politik” kontroversial RM40 juta kepada Umno Sabah melibatkan Ketua Menteri Datuk Musa Aman telah dimasukkan ke dalam akaun bank peribadi “seorang pemimpin Umno”, dakwa bekas ahli parlimen (MP) Barisan Nasional (BN).
Datuk
Seri Wilfred Mojilip Bumburing (gambar) yang kini merupakan MP bebas
Tuaran, mengatakan dalam kenyataan melalui email malam tadi ahli
keluarga “pemimpin Umno” yang beliau tuduh boleh mengeluarkan wang dari
akaun tersebut sedikit demi sedikit, menimbulkan pertanyaan tentang
kenyataan pemimpin BN bahawa dana tersebut adalah untuk digunakan oleh
Umno Sabah.“Apakah pengeluaran wang ini mendapat kelulusan Umno?
“Jika wang itu bertujuan untuk didermakan kepada Umno, mengapa ianya dimasukkan ke dalam akaun bank peribadi individu?” katanya dalam kenyataan tersebut.
Bekas timbalan pengerusi BN Sabah dari Pertubuhan Pasok Momogun Kadazandusun Murut Bersatu (UPKO), walaubagaimanapun tidak mendedahkan identiti pemimpin Umno atau memberikan bukti untuk menyokong dakwaannya.
Bumburing juga mempersoalkan mengapa BN menolak untuk mendedahkan sumber dana, dengan mengatakan ia memberikan persepsi seolah-olah pemimpin gabungan pemerintah tersebut membiarkan rasuah berleluasa.
Beliau mengkritik Setiausaha Umno Sabah, Datuk Abdul Rahman mengatakan bahawa MP Kota Belud ini telah berkali-kali mempertahankan derma dengan mengatakan tiada apa-apa kesalahan dalam sumbangan berkenaan.
“Pengakuan (Abdul Rahman) juga meninggalkan banyak persoalan yang tidak terjawab seperti dari mana wang itu datang?
“Adakah wang tersebut dikecualikan dari cukai atau apakah penderma membayar di atas wang yang didermakan?” soalnya.
Bumburing dan seorang lagi MP Sabah, Datuk Seri Lajim Ukin meninggalkan BN baru-baru ini dan berikrar untuk menyokong perjuangan Pakatan Rakyat (PR) mengatakan mereka telah hilang keyakinan terhadap kepimpinan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
Di Parlimen awal bulan ini, didedahkan bahawa Musa telah dibersihkan daripada rasuah selepas pihak berkuasa tempatan mendapati bahawa RM40 juta yang menjadi persoalan adalah "derma politik" untuk Umno Sabah dan tidak dimaksudkan untuk kegunaan peribadi Ketua Menteri.
Menurut laporan lalu, siasatan pertama bermula pada tahun 2008 di atas permintaan Suruhanjaya Bebas Pencegahan Rasuah (ICAC), Hong Kong, selepas seorang ahli perniagaan yang didakwa ditangkap ketika cuba menyeludup wang tunai kembali ke Malaysia.
Akan tetapi, penemuan Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) kemudian membersihkan nama Musa menyebabkan ICAC menutup kes terhadap ketua Umno Sabah itu.
MP pembangkang di sini tidak berpuas hati dengan penutupan kes tersebut dan menuntut pentadbiran Najib untuk mendedahkan sumber derma tersebut dan peristiwa tepat membawa kepada siasatan pada Musa.
Menurut laman pemberi maklumat Sarawak Report, yang pertama mendedahkan kes tersebut, peniaga kayu Sabah Michael Chia ditangkap di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Hong Kong dengan wang tunai dalam mata wang Singapura.
Pada ketika itu, Chia dilaporkan memberitahu pihak berkuasa Hong Kong wang tersebut adalah untuk Musa.
Dalam pendedahan April lepas Sarawak Report turut mendedahkan dokumen dikatakan dari ICAC Hong Kong menunjukkan peguam Sabah memegang US$30 juta (RM90 juta) dalam akaun bank Swiss untuk Musa.
Laporan itu juga mendakwa jejak kertas menunjukkan bahawa berjuta-juta dalam matawang Euro serta Amerika Syarikat, Hong Kong dan Singapura telah disalurkan dari beberapa firma diuruskan oleh Chia yang berpangkalan di Hong Kong untuk beberapa syarikat British Virgin Island dan seterusnya kepada akaun peguam Swiss perguam tersebut.
Tetapi apabila menjelaskan isu ini di Parlimen Isnin lepas, Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Aziz berkata bahawa Chia tidak pernah ditangkap dengan tunai di Hong Kong dan tidak pernah ditangkap oleh ICAC.
Nazri berkata RM40 juta sebenarnya dibekukan dalam akaun pelaburan di Hong Kong, yang kemudiannya perlu dipindahkan ke sebuah akaun dalam bank Switzerland.
"Itu adalah pemahaman saya dalam kes itu," katanya kepada Dewan.- malaysian insider
cheers.
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