Sarawak Report broke the story at the start of month to howls of ‘Fake News’ accusations and a press release from the new Attorney General’s Office, declaring that our story was untrue.
Now we have it from Straits Times reporter Leslie Lopez, who is long famed in regional news circles for his ‘excellent contacts’ and apparent direct access to information from Najib, Jho Low and their most inner circle.
Lopez says that Najib’s cousin, Hishamuddin Hussein, now Foreign Minister in the Coup Coalition, will indeed be heading out to Abu Dhabi next week as the key emissary from Malaysia in the matter, just as Sarawak Report earlier reported.
And if Lopez wrote it, Malaysian media plainly consider his words come from the ‘horse’s mouth’ and are therefore reporting the matter widely in expectation of an imminent announcement.
If confirmed, it means Malaysia has indeed agreed (as we reported) to surrender its key leverage over Abu Dhabi by placing the London court case against IPIC on hold, in favour of secret negotiations between two parties who both have plenty of embarrassing details people now in charge would like to hide, especially from the Malaysian public
With Hishamuddin now taking the lead (as we also reported) it is being suggested that the legal matter – IPIC owes Malaysia billions for its collusion with Najib to steal from 1MDB – is now being treated as a ‘diplomatic matter’ by the PN government in order to end ‘strained relations’ between two apparent vital allies.
More to the point, sweeping the entire scandal back under the carpet will spare the blushes of Hishamuddin’s apparently shameless cousin and also the Abu Dhabi royals whom he enticed into his corruption deals in Malaysia – whether wittingly or unwittingly would likely have emerged in court.
As with the Goldman Sachs case this ‘political’ approach would mean no party would have to admit to guilt over the disappearance of Malaysia’s billions. How convenient:
The report said a deal with Abu Dhabi would be more complex and would require major concessions from both governments. “Any settlement would have to be political because both sides are not going to make any admission to guilt,” an unnamed former government official was quoted as saying. [Free Malaysia Today]
Presiding over the issue (as yet unreported by Lopez and the rest) is Malaysia’s own royal personage and friend to both sides.
The present Agong (who appointed PM8 without any recommendation from an elected leader) is Najib’s local sultan, who has long enjoyed a happy working relationship with the ex-prime minister and his family and also went to Sandhurst with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince.
However, this saving of face amongst the friends and relatives of the present powers-that-be will both cover up the truth and result in vast and unnecessary concessions from Malaysia in terms of yet more billions surrendered over, for which honest but ordinary and unconnected folk will have to pay.
The country is now back entangled in a relationship with Goldman Sachs, who under the terms of PN’s settlement has agreed to act as ‘agent’ for the recovery of money it ought to have been fined. Soon, perhaps Malaysia can look forward to becoming entangled in more of Abu Dhabi’s Middle Eastern wars (as if Yemen was not enough)?
People should ask if the PN Coup Coalition is doing such deals for the benefit of Malaysia or the benefit of ‘Bossku’ and all his hangers on once more?