Lowyat.NET: Latest topics by denimblue

Indications point to multi-jurisdiction 1MDB

denimblue — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 09:03:02 +0800

PETALING JAYA: The decision by those implicated in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal to rope in foreign top-notch legal eagles could indicate a multi-jurisdiction legal battle ahead, say local legal experts.

It was reported that Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak had engaged the services of Ashcroft Law Firm headed by former US attorney general John Ashcroft, top US corporate lawyer David Boies and prosecutor-turned-private defence lawyer Matthew Schwartz.

Meanwhile, businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, has been linked to British lawyer Robin Rathmell after the lawyer issued a statement on his behalf earlier this month.

Veteran lawyer Datuk Firoz Hussein Ahmad Jamaluddin said Malaysian lawyers could be hired at the same time, to form a multi-jurisdictional legal team.

“However, if for example someone is taking advice only on US law for an issue with the US Department of Justice (DOJ), there is no issue of Malaysian law there,” he told The Star.

Firoz, who is with international network Zico Law, had represented Najib in a separate 1MDB matter in 2015 when the then-prime minister mulled filing a defamation suit in Malaysia against the Wall Street Journal over two articles on 1MDB.

Firoz clarified that he was not involved with the latest case involving the DOJ investigation and was not privy to Najib’s legal strategy.

He pointed out that lawyers were sometimes hired to contribute to parts of an overall strategy based on their experience, especially those famous for representing high-profile cases.

He added that the retainer fees for such firms could vary immensely based on their degree of involvement.

Bar Council chairman George Varughese said it was Najib and Low’s right under the Federal Constitution to seek legal counsel.

“Both are entitled to engage and consult any lawyer, local or foreign, of their choice. It is not unusual to engage foreign firms especially when a matter may also involve issues in foreign jurisdictions or foreign laws, even if it is rooted in Malaysia,” he said.

However, he added that a foreign lawyer was only able to act in Malaysian courts if they were able to meet the strict requirements of the Legal Profession Act 1976 and obtain an order for an ad hoc admission to the Bar.

As part of such an application, the foreign practitioners would need to inform the Bar and Attorney General’s Chambers first, so they can either support or object to the application.

Varughese confirmed that the Bar had not yet received any such application.

Such applications rarely succeed, as in the case of human rights lawyer Cherie Blair, the wife of then British prime minister Tony Blair who was denied by the Federal Court from acting on behalf of a local company against the Malaysian Government in 2006.

More recently, Australian Queen’s Counsel Geoffrey Robertson was allowed to represent Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) and its president Datuk Yong Teck Lee in a defamation case in Sabah in 2015.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018...l-battle-ahead/

Who do you think the other three candidates

denimblue — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 19:21:50 +0800

Until Tengku Adnan officially announces all seven of them tomorrow.

Do you all recall if any Umno politician

denimblue — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 13:46:09 +0800

I can't think of any.

Who will be the elected Umno President?

denimblue — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 12:20:04 +0800

It is said that Khairy's last minute vying for the post is to split the votes so that Zahid can win over Ku Li.

What do you think?

Mat Sabu denies family Raya trip on

denimblue — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 06:39:54 +0800

Defence Minister Mohamad Sabu has vehemently denied that he had used a government helicopter to get to Perlis for Aidilfitri with his family.

"Not true at all. I will not use government assets for myself and I was not even in Perlis. Everything is fake and a lie,” he said in his Twitter account @MSabu_Official.

A 27-second video was uploaded today by a Facebook user claiming that Mohamad, who is also Amanah president, had used a government helicopter together with his wife and family to celebrate Hari Raya in Jejawi, Perlis.

Mohamad or better known as Mat Sabu was sworn in together with 12 other cabinet members on May 21, following Pakatan Harapan’s victory in the 14th General Election.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/430011

MYNIC explains reason for .my domain outage

denimblue — Sat, 16 Jun 2018 19:16:04 +0800

MYNIC Bhd, an agency under the Communications and Multimedia Ministry (KKMM), has confirmed there was a 'broken chain of trust' between the servers in MYNIC and Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).

“Our initial investigations found that the MYNIC signing server experienced outage and this caused the broken chain of trust between the MYNIC and IANA servers,” it said in a statement today.

It said MYNIC’s quick-action team had put in the highest priority to restore affected services and monitor the situation, adding it also obtained the help of (US-based network infrastructure company), Verisign and IANA to assist in the restoration of services.

MYNIC said there was no breach of customer data in this incident, adding the issue at hand was the availability of access to MYNIC’s domain services.

The restoration service would take some time as to repropagate the .my domain names to the world, it noted.

It said MYNIC had always been working on safeguarding domain names and improving security, namely to enhance other layers of DNS (Domain Name System) validation to ensure end-to-end protection.

MYNIC Bhd provides domain services for .my and related services which give Malaysian organisations and individuals their unique identity on the internet and its ecosystem. It also collaborates with Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to look at the situation holistically.

Moving forward, MYNIC said it had received continuous support from the ministry in ensuring the development of domain name industry as part of the Information and Communication Technology infrastructure in Malaysia.

It was reported earlier that the DNS servers which handled the .my domain names appeared to have gone offline since yesterday and that this had affected all .my domain websites.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/430000

Azmin: Social justice vital to create

denimblue — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 15:34:40 +0800

Economic Affairs Minister Mohamed Azmin Ali said that efforts being undertaken to create an investor-friendly economy would not be successful without a developed sense of social justice.

In his message for Syawal 1 - the first day of the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebrations today - Azmin also promised that efforts to create an investor-friendly atmosphere to generate more jobs and to increase foreign investments would be done without sacrificing the principles of transparency and responsibility.

"These must be embedded with the threads of trustworthiness, truthfulness, advocacy and wisdom. I am confident that only with respect and the spirit of freedom and independence can we help the country rise up," he said.

Azmin, who is also acting Selangor menteri besar, said that Syawal 1 was more meaningful than ever following last month's general elections which was won by Pakatan Harapan.

To him, the new Malaysia that was born out of the people's aspirations on May 9 not only resulted in a more harmonious atmosphere but saw the multiracial community's unity being strengthened with the rejection of racial and religious sentiments.

"Our beloved Malaysia is now moving into the healing phase after 60 years of rule by the previous government," he said in his message.

"As someone who is responsible to steer the country's economic affairs, I emphasise and will ensure that the people are taken care of."

"So there is no more excuse to just sit still and hope for success without hard work," he said.

Addressing the people of Selangor, Azmin vowed not to forget the state despite moving on to a federal portfolio.

"As I carry out my challenging task at the federal level, I will not forget my beloved Selangor.

"I pray that Selangor continues to be successful, harmonious and progressive by strengthening our care and concern for the people.

Azmin said his wife and children join him in wishing Salam Eidul Fitr to all Muslims and they hope this Syawal will bring everyone to embrace the spirit of unity and faith.

Azmin was initially sworn in as menteri besar for a second term but was later accorded a cabinet position by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad as economic affairs minister.

It is believed his replacement for menteri besar will be named tomorrow as the Selangor palace stated that he or she will be sworn-in on June 19.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/429900

Dr M says he doesn't need "I love PM"

denimblue — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 15:06:46 +0800

like Najib.

Macam ini OK dah...

* Deleted *

denimblue — Fri, 15 Jun 2018 14:46:40 +0800

* Deleted *

Have the fourth floor boys of the PM's office

denimblue — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 10:06:38 +0800

of previous administrations been abolished when Tun Dr M took office as PM last month?

Bersatu files seven election petitions

denimblue — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 09:24:54 +0800

Bersatu has filed election petitions to challenge the results of four parliament seats, and three states seats in the May 9 general election.

The four parliament seats being disputed are Tasek Gelugor, Jempol, Tapah, and Bagan Serai.

Meanwhile, the state seats involved are Lubok Merbau, Changkat Jong in Perak, and Kahang, Johor.

Bersatu legal bureau secretary Mior Nor Haidir Suhaimi said the petitions were being filed on grounds that: rules regarding fair conduct during polls were not met; election offences by the respondents named; and/or failure by the Election Commission to ensure a clean voting process.

"The Bersatu legal bureau in continuing to uphold the rule of law advocated by the party chairperson (Dr Mahathir Mohamad), will carry on to attend to the said petitions in the courts.

"(Bersatu) hopes to have the decision in favour of all petitioners with the sole objective to ensure that by-elections are held soonest to further strengthen Pakatan Harapan’s grip on national and state politics," Mior Nor Haidir said.

In four of the disputed seats, Bersatu had lost by less than 1,000 votes, namely Tasek Gelugor by 81 votes; Tapah, 614; Lubok Merbau, 409; and Changkat Jong, 67.

https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/429734

Who do you think will be the first politician

denimblue — Thu, 14 Jun 2018 09:08:02 +0800

that will be jailed for corruption or criminal charges?

EC chief’s tenure cut short

denimblue — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 17:29:43 +0800

KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — Tan Sri Mohd Hashim Abdullah will leave his position as Election Commission (EC) chief on July 1, 2018.

In a statement, the EC said the decision to cut short his services has received the assent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V on June 7, with Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad informed of this on Monday.

“The EC takes this opportunity to wish its gratitude and thanks to Mohd Hashim for his service,” it said.

Mohd Hashim had joined the EC on September 5, 2014 before he was appointed as chairman on January 24, 2016.

Last month, Dr Mahathir said his Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) received numerous complaints against the EC in the manner the commission had conducted the 14th general election.

The Prime Minister alleged that his party received a number of complaints, which suggested that the EC had attempted to reduce Pakatan Harapan’s chances of winning a greater majority in some seats.

In 2016, Hashim had acknowledged that he was once private secretary to Umno’s Tan Sri Annuar Musa when the latter was rural development minister, but insisted he has never been a member of any political party,

Hashim started his career as the deputy director of the KL City Hall in 1980 and has since held numerous positions including the post of private secretary to the Minister of Youth and Sports as well as the Minister of Rural Development.

https://www.malaymail.com/s/1641664/ec-chie...enure-cut-short

MCA’s service centres bite the dust

denimblue — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 16:01:06 +0800

ONCE the face of the party and its first contact point for hundreds from the Chinese community, MCA’s service centres nationwide are shutting down for lack of funding following Barisan Nasional’s loss of federal power.

The centres helped members of the community solve their problems, ranging from those who could not get identity cards to issues related to the local authority.

However, all this changed when MCA was decimated in the May 9 general election.

MCA initially thought the party would receive the support of between 23% and 25% of Chinese voters, but it ended up getting only 2% of the Chinese vote in GE14, turning it from a party that once represented Chinese interests, to a party that has been utterly rejected by the community.

Currently, MCA only has the Ayer Hitam parliamentary seat, and the Cheka and Titi Tinggi state seats.

MCA's top leadership was all but annihilated, leaving only deputy president Wee Ka Siong as MP for Ayer Hitam.

A branch leader said with the loss of power, the service centres could no longer match the party’s claim of providing service to the community as funds were no longer coming.

"The voters don't want us anymore, there's no point in service. Furthermore, we are now the opposition; we don't have the funds to keep the service centres running. Our job now is to keep check on the government,” said a Bandar Tun Razak party officer.

"Now, if the people have any problems, they should go look for DAP and PKR, not MCA," he told The Malaysian Insight.

https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/54427

What are some of the old wives' tales

denimblue — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 15:01:03 +0800

For me,

1. Don't swallow orange seeds or an orange tree will grow on your head.

2. Don't swallow chewing gum or your intestines will be clogged.

What about yours?

NFCorp to continue contempt proceedings

denimblue — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 13:25:21 +0800

NATIONAL Feedlot Corporation Sdn Bhd (NFCorp) will continue with committal proceedings (contempt of court) against PKR vice-president Mohd Rafizi Ramli after he refused to remove an article about NFC from his blog and Facebook page.

Lawyer Noor Farhah Mustaffa and NFCorp executive chairman Dr Mohamad Salleh Ismail told reporters this, when met after case management in chambers today before High Court judge Nik Hasmat Nik Mohamad.

Rafizi was represented by counsel Ng Siau San.

According to Noor Farhah, both parties failed to reach an agreement after Ng informed her that Rafizi rejected a number of conditions set by Salleh, including removing the article implicating NFC from his blog and Facebook.

"If Rafizi had agreed to the conditions, my client would have withdrawn the committal proceedings against him,” she said.

She said the court fixed August 24 to hear the committal application. – Bernama, June 13, 2018.

https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/54471

Jho Low offers to meet 1MDB investigators in Dubai

denimblue — Wed, 13 Jun 2018 08:46:50 +0800

FUGITIVE financier Low Taek Jho has surfaced in Dubai, and has told the task force investigating 1Malaysia Development Bhd that he was willing to meet them there, government sources said.

As a precursor to that meeting, his lawyers are expected have a sit-down with officials from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Gulf emirate and discuss areas in which their client can assist in the probe involving the siphoning of billions of ringgit from the state-owned entity.

Low's lawyers confirmed that discussions had started with Malaysian authorities, but declined to say more to The Malaysian Insight.

Malaysian authorities are confident that the Penang-born businessman, who is popularly known as Jho Low, can help in the effort to repatriate funds or assets purchased with 1MDB funds.

Equally important, 1MDB investigators believe that he can identify where other assets, including expensive jewellery have been hidden.

The sudden urgency shown by ‎Najib Razak's business partner and confidant in reaching out to Malaysian authorities is not coincidental.

He stayed hidden, silent and unresponsive as long as Najib and Barisan Nasional were in power, and afforded him protection from prosecution in Malaysia.

That scenario was turned on its head on May 9 when Pakatan Harapan wrested control of Putrajaya. The new government under Dr Mahathir Mohamad has made it their No. 1 priority to prosecute Najib and other individuals connected to the 1MDB scandal.

Against this backdrop of the umbrella of protection removed, Jho Low sent out feelers to the Dr Mahathir administration and MACC.

Investigators in Singapore and the United States have painted the one-time friend of Hollywood stars and Najib as key players in the diversion of billions of ringgit from the state-owned investment firm.

Several international notices seeking information on his whereabouts and his arrest have been issued by foreign governments, but he has managed to travel and live untroubled before news of the scandal broke in 2015.

Malaysian authorities believe that he has enjoyed the protection of China and several Middle East countries, including the United Arab Emirates.

This diplomatic cover has made it difficult for Malaysia and other foreign governments investigating the fiasco to seek Jho Low's extradition.

Dr Mahathir said recently that the government had an idea where the wanted Malaysian was, but could not get him back.

Dubai has long been known as a haven for exiled politicians and those sought for offences in their home countries. This group includes former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Government officials believe that Jho Low is close to influential stakeholders in Dubai and that is why he has offered to meet 1MDB investigators there. Some of the questionable dealings in the 1MDB scandal also involved several individuals from the UAE. – June 13, 2018.

https://www.themalaysianinsight.com/s/54395

Who do you think would be the first person

denimblue — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 22:30:48 +0800

Think carefully about your choice.

Do you think Dr M is STILL a dictator?

denimblue — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 21:42:12 +0800

From the way he makes unilateral decisions without consulting his Cabinet colleagues?

Dr M: We are ‘mystified’ by Trump’s policies

denimblue — Mon, 11 Jun 2018 20:44:32 +0800

KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today he is “mystified” by the policies adopted by Donald Trump, adding that he would wait for the US president to “settle down” and put forth “recognisable” policies.

Dr Mahathir also admitted that the US is a powerful and rich nation, and dealings with the nation must be done diligently, as Malaysia does not wish to be confrontational.

“With regards to the US, we of course appreciate the fact that it is a rich and very powerful country. We have to deal with the US as much as we can, but we don’t want to confront the US, or fight against the US,” he said, adding that Putrajaya has to learn to understand the US.

“But currently, we are mystified by the policies followed by Mr Trump. We don’t know whether he is going east or west or north or south at any given time, so we will wait for him to settle down and really fix a recognisable policy for the US,” he added.

Dr Mahathir was responding to a question on how to manage the US.

Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are currently in Singapore, to attend the 2018 North Korea-United States Summit, the first of its kind between the two nations.

https://www.malaymail.com/s/1640793/dr-m-we...trumps-policies