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Monday, September 21, 2015

Media Monitor: Heartening news on1MDB & RElated developments

from the Malay Mail ONline:~~



The Edge says ‘vindicated’ by court win

Monday September 21, 2015
05:23 PM GMT+8

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File picture shows Group CEO of The Edge Media Group, Ho Kay Tat speaking to reporters at The Edge office in Mutiara Damansara, July 24, 2015. — Picture by Kamles KumarFile picture shows Group CEO of The Edge Media Group, Ho Kay Tat speaking to reporters at The Edge office in Mutiara Damansara, July 24, 2015. — Picture by Kamles KumarKUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 — The Edge Media Group lauded today the decision by the High Court to quash the suspension orders of two of its publications, saying the victory proves it was right in insisting the ban had been wrongful.
“It vindicates our position that the suspension was unfair and without justification,” it said in a brief media response this evening.
Earlier, High Court Judge Datuk Asmabi Mohamad ruled that the Home Ministry had acted irrationally and illegally by issuing the suspension orders, also ruling that the latter had breached procedural fairness when issuing a show-cause letter to the publications over its reports on the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy.
Asmabi ruled that the ministry’s suspension order be quashed and said damages will be awarded to The Edge after assessment.
“The conclusion, on totality of evidence before the court and relevant law and as discussed earlier, I am satisfied that the decision of the respondent in this case had suffered or is tainted with illegality,” she said when delivering her decision at the Kuala Lumpur High Court.
Asmabi said the Home Ministry’s suspension was made ultra vires or beyond the powers granted under Section 7(1) of the Printing Presses Publications Act (PPPA).
Before delivering her decision, Asmabi had said: “The decision is also made solely based on facts presented before me unaffected by any surrounding circumstances around 1MDB.”
Alice Loke, the lead counsel acting for the Home Minister and the Home Ministry’s secretary-general, told Malay Mail Online that she will have to seek instructions on whether an appeal will be filed.
The Home Ministry had in July suspended the printing permits of The Edge Financial Daily and The Edge Weekly for three months over their reports on 1MDB.
The three-month printing suspension was set to end on October 27.
The suspension order came three weeks after Home Minister Ahmad Zahid announced on July 1 that a show-cause letter had been issued to The Edge for publishing what the government deemed to be unverified news on debt-laden 1MDB.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/the-edge-says-vindicated-by-court-win#sthash.PKPsohor.dpuf

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 FRom malaysiakini.com:~~~

FBI starts probe on 1MDB, says WSJ


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The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has reportedly initiated a probe into allegations of money laundering related to the debt ridden 1MDB.
According to financial daily The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) this morning, a source reported this development in the midst of the detention of Umno former leader Khairuddin Abu Hassan.
Khairuddin was barred from leaving the country this week, foiling his plan to travel to the US to meet the FBI over a complaint against 1MDB, and is now being remanded.
WSJ reported that the scope of FBI’s current investigation is not yet known and that FBI has not revealed any knowledge of Khairuddin’s planned visit.
“A spokeswoman for the FBI’s New York office said that no agent in the office had arranged to speak with Khairuddin or had any previous contact with him,” wrote WSJ.
The report noted Khairuddin’s arrest on Friday on allegations of “attempting to undermine democracy”.
It also noted how both Switzerland and Singapore said they have frozen accounts linked to 1MDB or its personnel, but 1MDB had denied such claims of frozen accounts in both instances.
WSJ has published a number of reports damaging to 1MDB, a Finance Ministry owned fund that is Prime Minister Najib Razak's pet project.
On Sept 9 WSJ reported allegations that UAE's International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) had reportedly not received a US$1.4 billion collateral payment promised to it by 1MDB.
On Sept 18 it reported Abu Dhabi officials questioning a further US$993 million that 1MDB reported it paid to IPIC, but which also appears to be "largely missing".Related reports
1MDB board needs to call EGM over WSJ
Umno man Khairuddin remanded for six days over 1MDB
Pua coaches 1MDB how to crush 'malicious' WSJ reports

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from MAlay Mail ONline:~~~~



Malaysians deserve answers on 1MDB and RM2.6b donation, Zeti says

BY JOSEPH SIPALAN
Monday September 21, 2015
04:08 PM GMT+8
UPDATED:
September 21, 2015
05:41 PM GMT+8

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Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz said the public wants answers to questions about 1MDB and donations to the prime minister and they deserve to get the answers. — File picBank Negara Malaysia Governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz said the public wants answers to questions about 1MDB and donations to the prime minister and they deserve to get the answers. — File picKUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 — The public have every right to get answers on the controversy surrounding state-owned investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and the RM2.6 billion donation made to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s private bank accounts in the interest of greater transparency in governance, Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz said today.
The Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) Governor said there must also be clarity on which authorities are probing both issues, especially with the police, Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) and the central bank all having launched separate investigations.
“Right now, we know the public wants answers to these questions and they deserve to get the answers,” Zeti told a panel discussion at the Economic Update 2015 here.
“We know that there is ongoing investigations, but we also need to know who are doing what investigations,” she added.
Zeti noted that BNM has already handed over to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) their investigations papers on possible contraventions to approvals granted to 1MDB, and that the central bank is in ongoing discussions with the AGC on the issue.
She stressed that transparency in governance has now become a vital aspect in maintaining credibility internationally, especially with increasingly strict standards set by the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Zeti noted that international regulators have placed particular attention on the issue of money laundering in the follow up of events that were tied to terrorism financing.
“They (FATF) set the standards and they have been strengthened immensely these past few years. They will come to every country to assess if we implement and enforce these standards.
“Malaysia already had its assessment and we came out quite well, but they would like to see further enforcement taking place.
“In this day and age, it must be known that there is no place on this planet that anyone can hide,” Zeti said.
Last week, a draft report by the Paris-based FATF gave good grades to Malaysia for its anti-money laundering efforts, saying the country had put in place a “robust policy framework” to combat the crime.
The global body – which monitors how countries fight illicit financial flows – noted however that Malaysia needs to be more effective in targeting high-risk offences and needs to pay more attention to transnational crime, according to a report by newswire Reuters.
The FATF report has yet to be made public and is subject to changes.
Najib is currently facing harsh criticism over his handling of 1MDB, which has reportedly racked up debts totalling RM42 billion, and the lack of clarity over the RM2.6 billion donation ostensibly from the Middle East.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/malaysians-deserve-answers-on-1mdb-and-rm2.6b-donation-zeti-says#sthash.fUOq3vCF.dpuf
 


Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz said the public wants answers to questions about 1MDB and donations to the prime minister and they deserve to get the answers. — File picBank Negara Malaysia Governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz said the public wants answers to questions about 1MDB and donations to the prime minister and they deserve to get the answers. — File picKUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 — The public have every right to get answers on the controversy surrounding state-owned investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and the RM2.6 billion donation made to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s private bank accounts in the interest of greater transparency in governance, Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz said today.
The Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) Governor said there must also be clarity on which authorities are probing both issues, especially with the police, Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) and the central bank all having launched separate investigations.
“Right now, we know the public wants answers to these questions and they deserve to get the answers,” Zeti told a panel discussion at the Economic Update 2015 here.
“We know that there is ongoing investigations, but we also need to know who are doing what investigations,” she added.
Zeti noted that BNM has already handed over to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) their investigations papers on possible contraventions to approvals granted to 1MDB, and that the central bank is in ongoing discussions with the AGC on the issue.
She stressed that transparency in governance has now become a vital aspect in maintaining credibility internationally, especially with increasingly strict standards set by the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Zeti noted that international regulators have placed particular attention on the issue of money laundering in the follow up of events that were tied to terrorism financing.
“They (FATF) set the standards and they have been strengthened immensely these past few years. They will come to every country to assess if we implement and enforce these standards.
“Malaysia already had its assessment and we came out quite well, but they would like to see further enforcement taking place.
“In this day and age, it must be known that there is no place on this planet that anyone can hide,” Zeti said.
Last week, a draft report by the Paris-based FATF gave good grades to Malaysia for its anti-money laundering efforts, saying the country had put in place a “robust policy framework” to combat the crime.
The global body – which monitors how countries fight illicit financial flows – noted however that Malaysia needs to be more effective in targeting high-risk offences and needs to pay more attention to transnational crime, according to a report by newswire Reuters.
The FATF report has yet to be made public and is subject to changes.
Najib is currently facing harsh criticism over his handling of 1MDB, which has reportedly racked up debts totalling RM42 billion, and the lack of clarity over the RM2.6 billion donation ostensibly from the Middle East.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/malaysians-deserve-answers-on-1mdb-and-rm2.6b-donation-zeti-says#sthash.fUOq3vCF.dpuf



Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz said the public wants answers to questions about 1MDB and donations to the prime minister and they deserve to get the answers. — File picBank Negara Malaysia Governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz said the public wants answers to questions about 1MDB and donations to the prime minister and they deserve to get the answers. — File picKUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 — The public have every right to get answers on the controversy surrounding state-owned investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) and the RM2.6 billion donation made to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s private bank accounts in the interest of greater transparency in governance, Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz said today.
The Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) Governor said there must also be clarity on which authorities are probing both issues, especially with the police, Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) and the central bank all having launched separate investigations.
“Right now, we know the public wants answers to these questions and they deserve to get the answers,” Zeti told a panel discussion at the Economic Update 2015 here.
“We know that there is ongoing investigations, but we also need to know who are doing what investigations,” she added.
Zeti noted that BNM has already handed over to the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) their investigations papers on possible contraventions to approvals granted to 1MDB, and that the central bank is in ongoing discussions with the AGC on the issue.
She stressed that transparency in governance has now become a vital aspect in maintaining credibility internationally, especially with increasingly strict standards set by the global Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Zeti noted that international regulators have placed particular attention on the issue of money laundering in the follow up of events that were tied to terrorism financing.
“They (FATF) set the standards and they have been strengthened immensely these past few years. They will come to every country to assess if we implement and enforce these standards.
“Malaysia already had its assessment and we came out quite well, but they would like to see further enforcement taking place.
“In this day and age, it must be known that there is no place on this planet that anyone can hide,” Zeti said.
Last week, a draft report by the Paris-based FATF gave good grades to Malaysia for its anti-money laundering efforts, saying the country had put in place a “robust policy framework” to combat the crime.
The global body – which monitors how countries fight illicit financial flows – noted however that Malaysia needs to be more effective in targeting high-risk offences and needs to pay more attention to transnational crime, according to a report by newswire Reuters.
The FATF report has yet to be made public and is subject to changes.
Najib is currently facing harsh criticism over his handling of 1MDB, which has reportedly racked up debts totalling RM42 billion, and the lack of clarity over the RM2.6 billion donation ostensibly from the Middle East.
- See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/malaysians-deserve-answers-on-1mdb-and-rm2.6b-donation-zeti-says#sthash.fUOq3vCF.dpuf

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