A Sabah businessman who was arrested at the Chek Lap Kok airport in Hong Kong carrying S$16 million in cash has yet to explain why he was doing so.Almost three years after the arrest of a Sabah businessman, Michael Chia, Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) said the case was still open.
Chia, who is said to be a proxy for Musa, was in August 2008 detained at the Chek Lap Kok Airport in Hong Kong.
He was carrying a bag allegedly containing S$16 million in cash.
The arrest and subsequent revelations on the eve of the Permatang Pauh by-election stunned Sabahans.
The August 2008 by-election saw PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim return to Parliament after a decade-long absence.
Rumours have it that the matter was quickly hushed up after Musa agreed to help then prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi with election funds.
Chia had also subsequently issued denials over reports of money-laundering activities and allegations that he was a proxy for Musa.
But at no point since has he clarified what he was doing with S$16 million in cash.
Chia has since been released on bail.
Yesterday ICAC in an official reply to a query from FMT regarding the outcome of investigations said: “We don’t comment on operational matters.”
Acting chief press information officer Alan Tse declined to answer further questions posed by FMT relating to the case.
Monitoring inflow
On Nov 5, 2008, three ICAC officers arrived in Kota Kinabalu seeking information on the background of Chia, a Sandakan businessman, as well as a senior lawyer and a top state leader.
They left on Nov 7 after gathering documents and seeking the help of Malaysia’s ACA or Anti-Corruption Agency (now Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission or MACC) to meet witnesses.
According to sources, the ICAC probe is focused on several hundred million ringgit purportedly found in the bank account of a Sabah lawyer allegedly holding it as trustee for a top Sabah politician.
The ICAC, it was revealed, had been monitoring the inflow of large amounts of monies from Sabah to the account in the Special Administrative Region for the past three to four years.
The ACA investigations director at the time, Mohd Shukri Abdul, confirmed at a press conference on Nov 7 that the ICAC had sought help from the ACA on the case.
He said that the ACA was providing assistance to the ICAC officers in gathering documents and meeting witnesses under the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act (MACMA).
Shukri said that ACA itself was not conducting any investigations into the matter.
Declining to reveal the specific nature of the ICAC probe, Shukri said: “We cannot reveal details as it is their investigations.”
Shortly after the revelation, PKR Youth head Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin had lodged a report with the ICAC in Hong Kong, providing evidence that Chia and four others were the nominees of Musa.
He also stated that the money was obtained illegally and named several banks where the money was held in trust and urged the authorities to freeze them.
Denied links
According to sources, senior lawyer Richard Barnes was among those who was picked up and flown to Kuala Lumpur where he was questioned by the MACC.
Sources said officers from the commission also took boxes of documents from the lawyer’s office and Barnes was believed to have been detained for more than five days.
Denying any link to reports of money laundering and links to Musa, Chia had reportedly said: “I have no business or political dealings with the chief minister and I am not his nominee.”
Musa has also denied any association or financial dealings with Chia.
“I would like to stress here that I have no political and financial connection with this person,” he had told the local media at the time.
“He’s not my nominee and I have no nominee,” he said.
Musa, when asked if he knew Chia, said: “I know him and as a chief minister of Sabah, I meet a lot of friends and I have many friends.”
Musa’s denial prompted the DAP to lodge a report at the Dang Wangi police station in Kuala Lumpur calling for investigations to clear the air over the reports.
“It does not matter if Musa has denied his involvement; the police and the ACA should proceed with the investigations against him,” DAP adviser Lim Kit Siang said.
Musang Bin Tidak Aman memang merasa Tidak Aman sekarang selepas ICAC mengambil kes ini.
ReplyDeleteMACC pura-pura tidak mahu atau tidak mahu tahu langsung sebab dia orang umno.
Itu Chia abang adik sama Musang bin tidak aman, tapi dia menafikan dia tidak kena dan rapat sama orang ini?
Allahku tahu siapa penipu.
Biarlah kerajaan Hong Kong yang menyiasat.
ReplyDeletebelum ada bukti pun beliau terlibat, jgnlah nak buat sebarang spekulasi.
ReplyDeleteRasanya Hong Kong punya ICAC tidak sama sekali dengan MACC kita. Biarlah mereka saja yang menyiasat kes ini.
ReplyDeleteTapi Musang bin tidak Aman jangan rasa takut.
ReplyDeleteICAC HK tidak pernah ada kes orang mati masa disiasat di bangunan ICAC HK dan tak macam MACC di KL sudah dua orang mati dan mati sebab apa pun tidak tahu, walaupun sudah disiasat bertahun tahun.
Evidence is important to charge a person but so far there are no evidence that can prove Musa is involve.
ReplyDeleteHopefully lah this case will be solved.
ReplyDeletethere still no evidence to link Musa Aman with money laundering.
ReplyDeleteLet ICAC HK do their job.
ReplyDeletemusa is clever enough not to expose himself or associated with chia at least in paper
ReplyDeletelawyer Richard Barnes baru tahun lalu dianugerah "Datuk" oleh KM Musa. Datuk Ricahrd Barnes lah yang terlibat money laundering untuk bos nya.........
ReplyDeleteTO BLACKTULIP - what you mean no evidence? Evidence is everywhere. tunggu lah kau.
ReplyDeleteNak tunding jari pun susah. Jadi selagi belum disabitkan bersalah hal ini belum tentu benar.
ReplyDeleteBagi saya artikel ini hanya mengajak pembaca berfikir, jadi fikirlah dengan teliti dan jangan buat andaian tanpa bukti sah.
ReplyDeleteJadi kita tunggu dan lihat sajalah nanti.
ReplyDeleteJangan risa masa akan menentukan segalanya kerana saya yakin kebenaran pasti akan terdedah akhirnya.
ReplyDeleteHarap-harap hal ini dapat ditanggani dengan baik.
ReplyDeleteAda buktikah... Musa is the best cm
ReplyDeleteI wonder how the hundreds of millions in a bank account of Musa Aman's lawyer be accounted for.A lawyer has hundreds of millions in his bank account? Not in a thousand years! So whose money is that? He is a trustee for whom?
ReplyDeleteWhy the MACC hasn't start any initial investigation on all these claims?
ReplyDeletesetuju dengan paquin, fikirlah dengan teliti dan jangan membuat andaian tanpa bukti.
ReplyDeleteselagi belum terbukti seseorang itu tidak boleh dianggap bersalah.
ReplyDeleteTunggulah setelah kes ini disiasat.
ReplyDeleteWhat about the 81 Dalil reported against Musa? Why MACC keep quiet? It seems like if you are umnok leader, MACC will keep their eye closed and their mouth SHUT!
ReplyDeleteAt least HK ICAC do their job with righteousness.
If Taiwan exPresident Chen can be charged in court.
What is Musang bin tidak aman only a Sabah CM and yet that is HK and not Malaysia always cover up by UMNOK for their member wrongdoing.
Musang bin tidak aman should step down immediately in order to avoid the BAD name of Sabah BN.
Datuk Shafie should replace you soon.
Bye bye Musang bin Tidak Aman. You memang tidak aman now!
how long Michael Chia is able to hide behind the name of Musa Aman is depend on the answer which only known by Richard Christopher Barnes who the Trustees of all funds deposited in Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank in Central Hong Kong.
ReplyDeleteeven ICAC take a part to investigate this case, If the investigation result showed that Musa Aman is innocent, opposition will say ICAC is controlled by umno or something like that..
ReplyDeletePerkara ini masih dalam siasatan. Rasannya tidak perlulah menuduh bukan2 dengan Musa Aman.
ReplyDeleteMusa Aman?Selagi belum ada keputusan dan bukti yang kukuh maka selagi itu kita tidak boleh mengaitkan orang lain. Biar pihak SPRM dan ICAC melakukan keraja mereka.
ReplyDeleteChia kenal musa atau musa kenal Chia itu bukan yang boleh jadikan bahan kukuh untuk menyalahkan seseorang. Kita kenal orang itu tidak semestinya dia tahu apa yang orang itu lakukan dan terlibat.
ReplyDeleteMicheal Chia is the one arrested, then he should be punished!
ReplyDeleteLeave this to the Hong Kong authorities.
ReplyDeleteMusang Bin Tidak Aman sepatutnya meletakan jawatannya sebagai KM Sabah supaya tidak memburukan image Sabah BN terutama dalam PRU akan datang.
ReplyDeleteDatuk Shafie adalah KM Sabah yang terbaik untuk ganti Musang Bin Tidak Aman dengan secepat mungkin. Harap Najib ambil tindakan sama Musang bin tidak aman dan pecat dia terus.
Jika tidak UMNO akan kalah besar di Sabah.
Nama orang Sabah sudah kotor kerana mempunyai pemimpin yang ada skandal.Kalau di negara Jepun tidak payah tunggu lagi pemimpin itu akan letak jawatan dengan serta merta tapi di Sabah pemimpin itu terus di sanjung.Begini punya mentality patut lah Sabah di jadi kan seperti 'kerbau kena cucuk hidung' olih KL.Kalau sudah kena pegang leher apa nak buat kena ikut telunjuk saja lah.Ini lah dia Musa Aman,ketua menteri yang terpaksa angguk kepala saja asalkan kekal jadi KM Sabah.Yang menderita siapa? Kasian rakyat Sabah ya!
ReplyDeleteHarap kebenaran akan ditemui.
ReplyDeletesetakat ini belum ada bukti yang mengaitkan kes ini dengan musa..
ReplyDeletemungkin sesetengah pihak cuba mensensasikan isu ini dengan mengaitkan musa atas kepentingan peribadi...
ReplyDeleteyang ditangkap adalah michael chia..tiada kaitan dengan musa..
ReplyDeletebiarkan pihak berkenaan melakukan siasatan..spekulasi hanya akan menganggu proses penyiasatan..
ReplyDeletemusa tidak bersalah..yang bersalah adalah michael chia..
ReplyDeleteapa2 pun, kita tunggu keputusan siasatan ICAC..
ReplyDeleteNaJIB mestilah melakukan cepat dengan pecat musa supaya nama BN Sabah tidak diburukkan olehnya.
ReplyDeleteAku percaya BN Sabah akan kalah teruk jika masih dipimpin oleh musa yang gila kuasa dan banyak kes rasuah.
This is simply a conspiracy.
ReplyDeleteSaya langsung tidak mempercayai benda ini.
ReplyDeleteDi manakah bukti yang mengatakan KM melakukan perkara itu?
ReplyDelete10th MP plans are more worth to say.
ReplyDeleteManusia tidak akan berhenti bercakap jadi tiada guna kita ingin mengubah pemikiran orang lain.
ReplyDelete