Malaysian opposition lawmaker charged over 1MDB leaks
PUBLISHED : Saturday, 09 April, 2016, 2:01am
UPDATED : Saturday, 09 April, 2016, 2:00am
Associated Press
A Malaysian opposition lawmaker was slapped with criminal charges on Friday for leaking state secrets relating to beleaguered state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Rafizi Ramli faces two charges under the Official Secrets Act, for disclosing and possessing confidential documents from the auditor general’s report on its investigation into 1MDB, charges which carry a mandatory jail sentence if convicted.
The secretary general of the People’s Justice Party pleaded not guilty to both charges at the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court.
If convicted under the OSA, Rafizi is looking at a minimum one year to a maximum seven years in jail.
The 39-year-old whistle-blower got into trouble with the law for a press conference he gave on March 28 in which he disclosed details, purportedly from the auditor general’s report, that showed 1MDB was partly responsible for the delays in Armed Forces Fund Board gratuity payments.
[Malaysian opposition leaders Wan Azizah and Lim Kit Siang, along with other opposition members of Parliament, march to Bukit Aman Police Headquarters to protest against the arrest of Rafizi Ramli in Kuala Lumpur. Photo: EPA]
The board, better known by its Malay acronym LTAT, is a pension fund for members of the armed forces.
A subsidiary of the board has a contract to develop a portion of land owned by 1MDB in the city centre.
LTAT and 1MDB have denied Rafizi’s claim, and LTAT has filed a suit against him.
1MDB has been a subject of both domestic and international investigations for corruption and money-laundering.
The auditor general’s report is marked classified, but a bipartisan parliamentary inquiry has quoted substantially on the auditor general’s findings in its own report, released on Thursday, that confirmed murky dealings in 1MDB, where Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak chairs the advisory board.
While the parliamentary inquiry did not hold Najib responsible, he is under pressure to resign, especially following news reports last July that nearly US$700 million was found in his private bank account, allegedly from firms linked to 1MDB.
Najib has denied any wrongdoing and has gone after his critics, sacking a vocal deputy who as attorney general had headed a probe into the “donation” scandal, while muzzling the press and suspending anti-government websites.
Dozens of opposition politicians and activists have found themselves targeted by the police and accused of sedition.
From the Sessions Court, Rafizi was brought to the Magistrate Court where he was charged with defaming the Pilgrim’s Fund when he questioned its decision to pump more money into loss-making TH Heavy Engineering Berhad, involved in the fabrication of offshore oil and gas facilities, where the fund is a major shareholder.
Rafizi again pleaded not guilty to a charge, for which he could face up to two years in jail if convicted.
The lawmaker also risks being disqualified to serve in the Parliament if he is convicted. But Rafizi, who has been under police custody since his arrest on Tuesday, expressed no regrets.
“Yeah, if I have the chance, I will do it again,” he told reporters outside court after his release on bail. “I am certain that what I did was right.”
“I think the focus is on the use of OSA to bury reports or information that are considered detrimental to the government, which I suppose is not in line with what’s the purpose of OSA in the first place,” he added.
