Gobala is suddenly rich, says PKR

Saifuddin Nasution accuses the Padang Serai MP of betraying the party for money.

KUALA LUMPUR: PKR today accused Independent Padang Serai MP N Gobalakrishnan of receiving payment for betraying the party, but the latter has dismissed the charge as false.

PKR secretary-general Saifuddin Nasution Ismail showed reporters copies of two Hong Leong cheques for a total of RM1.4 million, supposedly signed by the party renegade.

The cheques were dated last Jan 12 and March 15. January and March were the months in which Gobalakrishnan made his most fiery attacks against PKR, Saifuddin noted.

“Where did the money come from? Who was so kind to help?” he said at a conference with reporters covering Parliament. He is the MP for Machang.

Gobalakrishnan, interviewed afterwards, said Saifuddin was jumping to conclusions.

“I’m not the one who signed the cheques,” he said. “The most I’ve ever signed is RM10,000, and I don’t think I’ve ever signed any cheques this year.”

Saifuddin told reporters that Gobalakrishnan ran into financial troubles after joining PKR in 1999 and alleged that he left the party because he could not get a position in a company controlled by a Pakatan Rakyat state government.

He also said Gobalakrishnan owned a company known as Embun Megah Sdn Bhd and that it was strange that the company was suddenly able to settle payment to Kumpulan Pertanian Kelantan Bhd (KPKB) over a land lease dispute in Lojing, Kelantan.

He alleged that it would have been impossible for Gobalakrishnan to get “this kind of money” to settle his business affairs if he had remained in the party.

“If Gobalakrishnan can settle RM1.4 million in three months, how much did he receive for betraying the party?”

Out-of-court settlement

Gobalakrishnan denied that he owned Embun Megah, but said his siblings had a “70 to 80 percent” share of the company and once had a legal dispute with KPKB, a minority shareholder.

He said Embun Megah and KPKB reached an out-of-court settlement last January and the siblings would have to pay out RM1.5 million.

The money, according to him, would come from a property developer who had agreed to work on the land in Lojing. The developer would pay another RM1 million to Embun Megah, he added. He did not name the developer.

Gobalakrishnan also attacked PKR supremo Anwar Ibrahim, alleging that he had not returned one of two cars he lent him two years ago.

He said Anwar borrowed the Nissan cars for his bodyguards in March 2009, and had returned only one of them.

Gobalakrishnan left PKR early this year, after publicly making a series criticisms against the party and its leaders.