MACC might have missed the “elephant” in the UKSB saga
By Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy
THERE were certainly unintended consequences from the trial of former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The UMNO president is facing 33 charges of corruptly accepting millions of ringgit in multiple currencies from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) for granting them the license for foreign visa or VLN.
The money was paid to him at his residence between 2014 and 2018.
While the charges are against Zahid, witnesses from the trial have revealed that Zahid was not the sole beneficiary of this donation and that there were other prominent politicians involved in this matter as well.
Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin allegedly received RM1.3 mil while Health Minister Khairy Jamaludin received RM3.7 mil, although he did not receive it directly.
Former foreign minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, former rural developer minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican were also the beneficiaries of the largesse from UKSB.
It is apparent that the money received in the form of “donations” were in return for the favours granted to UKSB.
The payments to these politicians were not paid directly from the account of UKSB, but were from some unidentified sources in Hong Kong. This way, investigators would find it harder to find the connection between the company and the beneficiaries.
As revealed in court, UKSB’s ledger recorded the details of the payments to these individuals with nicknames and codes being used to record the payments made and the dates they were made.
Such revelations suggest that corruption in the form of donations were not just confined to certain high-ranking individuals in UMNO but also involve politicians from other parties as well.
No doubt, such revelations imply that the MACC had missed the elephant in the room for some time now.
This is no longer just about Zahid or former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak but others as well.
Corruption is not an aberration but seems to be the order of the day. The minute the revelations were made public, the response from those who were implicated was predictable.
Muhyiddin denied accepting the money, claiming that at the material time he was on extended leave following cancer surgery.
Khairy, the ambitious politician, denied that he accepted the money and that he was willing to testify in court.
The damaging testimonies came from not one but several witnesses against those who had received the money, and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was not surprised to say the least.
In fact, the anti-graft agency could have sprung to action long before the court trial began.
MACC might have already known that Zahid was not the only person involved, and that there were others out there from both the previous and the current administration.
But why were they so reluctant to go after these politicians? Are they so powerful that the mere thought of investigating them is unthinkable?
Or is it because MACC is shamelessly beholden to the executive branch of the Government?
The question here is whether MACC is widening its net following these court revelations, and if they are, why the delay?
This is the perfect example of selective prosecution, and unfortunately this is not something that is unique to MACC.
They cannot be using the “better late than never” argument all the time as the revelations from Zahid’s trial has blown Pandora’s Box wide open.
Given the endemic and widespread nature of corruption in the country, its manifestations have become differentiated and complex.
The euphemism is that the “donation” has been used to cover up numerous blatant acts of corruption and other financial misdeeds and the UKSB case, among others, is a tragic revelation that something is seriously wrong with this country.
How are we to forge ahead in addressing the economic and social needs of ordinary people under the impasse of massive corruption?
If those elected are above the law, is there even a future for this country? – June 23, 2022
Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is the state assemblyperson for Perai. He is also deputy chief minister II of Penang.
THERE were certainly unintended consequences from the trial of former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The UMNO president is facing 33 charges of corruptly accepting millions of ringgit in multiple currencies from Ultra Kirana Sdn Bhd (UKSB) for granting them the license for foreign visa or VLN.
The money was paid to him at his residence between 2014 and 2018.
While the charges are against Zahid, witnesses from the trial have revealed that Zahid was not the sole beneficiary of this donation and that there were other prominent politicians involved in this matter as well.
Former prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin allegedly received RM1.3 mil while Health Minister Khairy Jamaludin received RM3.7 mil, although he did not receive it directly.
Former foreign minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, former rural developer minister Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal and Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Reezal Merican Naina Merican were also the beneficiaries of the largesse from UKSB.
It is apparent that the money received in the form of “donations” were in return for the favours granted to UKSB.
The payments to these politicians were not paid directly from the account of UKSB, but were from some unidentified sources in Hong Kong. This way, investigators would find it harder to find the connection between the company and the beneficiaries.
As revealed in court, UKSB’s ledger recorded the details of the payments to these individuals with nicknames and codes being used to record the payments made and the dates they were made.
Such revelations suggest that corruption in the form of donations were not just confined to certain high-ranking individuals in UMNO but also involve politicians from other parties as well.
No doubt, such revelations imply that the MACC had missed the elephant in the room for some time now.
This is no longer just about Zahid or former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak but others as well.
Corruption is not an aberration but seems to be the order of the day. The minute the revelations were made public, the response from those who were implicated was predictable.
Muhyiddin denied accepting the money, claiming that at the material time he was on extended leave following cancer surgery.
Khairy, the ambitious politician, denied that he accepted the money and that he was willing to testify in court.
The damaging testimonies came from not one but several witnesses against those who had received the money, and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was not surprised to say the least.
In fact, the anti-graft agency could have sprung to action long before the court trial began.
MACC might have already known that Zahid was not the only person involved, and that there were others out there from both the previous and the current administration.
But why were they so reluctant to go after these politicians? Are they so powerful that the mere thought of investigating them is unthinkable?
Or is it because MACC is shamelessly beholden to the executive branch of the Government?
The question here is whether MACC is widening its net following these court revelations, and if they are, why the delay?
This is the perfect example of selective prosecution, and unfortunately this is not something that is unique to MACC.
They cannot be using the “better late than never” argument all the time as the revelations from Zahid’s trial has blown Pandora’s Box wide open.
Given the endemic and widespread nature of corruption in the country, its manifestations have become differentiated and complex.
The euphemism is that the “donation” has been used to cover up numerous blatant acts of corruption and other financial misdeeds and the UKSB case, among others, is a tragic revelation that something is seriously wrong with this country.
How are we to forge ahead in addressing the economic and social needs of ordinary people under the impasse of massive corruption?
If those elected are above the law, is there even a future for this country? – June 23, 2022
Prof Ramasamy Palanisamy is the state assemblyperson for Perai. He is also deputy chief minister II of Penang.
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