The Sun
by Tim Leonard
Both countries had last month agreed to sign a deal that will see Australia transfer 800 asylum-seekers to Malaysia and accept 4,000 genuine refugees in return.
However, the deal has angered human rights campaigners, who claim the refugees may not receive adequate protection in Malaysia.
Today, The Age carried a front page article headlined 'Money trail nudges Malaysia's political royals' which said that the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) firm Securency had engaged the services of Haris' company, Liberal Technology, in 2009 to help win banknote contracts.
Securency, which is half-owned and supervised by the RBA, has, for two years, been investigated by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the British Serious Fraud Office for allegedly bribing public officials in Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Nigeria in order to win banknote supply contracts.
Under Australian law, it is a criminal offence for a company or individual to pay or offer a benefit to a foreign government official or their close relatives in order to obtain a business advantage.
Though Australia is yet to prosecute a foreign bribery case, Securency – which has four RBA appointed directors on its board – is likely to be the first. Those convicted face up to 10 years' jail.
by Tim Leonard
KUALA
LUMPUR (June 6, 2011): Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein
has strongly denied an Australian news report that linked the refugee
swap plan between Malaysia and Australia with his brother's company
which is an agent for an Australian banknote printing company.
He said he is not aware of his brother, Haris Onn Hussein's dealings and denied the insinuations in the report, which claimed that the latter was paid to "offer it access to, and influence over, Malaysia's top politicians".
"I do not know what my brother is doing and I don't think Australia will do that. Thirdly, there is no link at all to what I'm doing with Australia, simple as that," he said after opening the new Dang Wangi police complex today.
When asked if he denied the allegations in The Age report, Hishammuddin said: "Yes, that's what I said."
He said he is not aware of his brother, Haris Onn Hussein's dealings and denied the insinuations in the report, which claimed that the latter was paid to "offer it access to, and influence over, Malaysia's top politicians".
"I do not know what my brother is doing and I don't think Australia will do that. Thirdly, there is no link at all to what I'm doing with Australia, simple as that," he said after opening the new Dang Wangi police complex today.
When asked if he denied the allegations in The Age report, Hishammuddin said: "Yes, that's what I said."
Both countries had last month agreed to sign a deal that will see Australia transfer 800 asylum-seekers to Malaysia and accept 4,000 genuine refugees in return.
However, the deal has angered human rights campaigners, who claim the refugees may not receive adequate protection in Malaysia.
Today, The Age carried a front page article headlined 'Money trail nudges Malaysia's political royals' which said that the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) firm Securency had engaged the services of Haris' company, Liberal Technology, in 2009 to help win banknote contracts.
Securency, which is half-owned and supervised by the RBA, has, for two years, been investigated by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the British Serious Fraud Office for allegedly bribing public officials in Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Nigeria in order to win banknote supply contracts.
Under Australian law, it is a criminal offence for a company or individual to pay or offer a benefit to a foreign government official or their close relatives in order to obtain a business advantage.
Though Australia is yet to prosecute a foreign bribery case, Securency – which has four RBA appointed directors on its board – is likely to be the first. Those convicted face up to 10 years' jail.
No comments:
Post a Comment