Virtually every major news outlet in the world, from the BBC to the New York Times, has reported the decision and commented on it. It’s a decision that has been scrutinized harder than any previous decision by a Malaysian AG, if only because mere days after he announced it, Swiss Attorney-General Michael Lauber proclaimed that Switzerland’s investigation into 1MDB had found evidence of misappropriated funds.
Lauber’s office said in a media statement that it believed up to RM4 billion in public funds had been misappropriated, and that it would be requesting the assistance of Malaysian authorities in its investigation.
This sent a shock wave through the international media. Malaysia has become one of the most interesting political stories to emerge from South East Asia in a while, and nobody, including the PM, is enjoying the spotlight.
Lauber’s office, in describing its findings, said: “So far four cases involving allegations of criminal conduct and covering the period from 2009 to 2013 have come to light, each involving a systematic course of action carried out by means of complex financial structures.”
Switzerland has long been known for its neutrality – political, economic and so on. This has enabled despots and billionaires to entrust untold treasures to its banks. However, the neutrality must be maintained by weeding out the worst abuses. Otherwise, the Swiss authorities risk becoming stigmatized as accomplices to theft.
It is clear that the Swiss believe they have found four such abuses, and Malaysia must respond with honesty or face becoming even more of a pariah on the global stage.
Imagine how ashamed Malaysia would be if the Swiss produce unquestionable evidence that someone or some entity “has stolen from Malaysian state-owned companies funding that was earmarked for economic and social development projects in Malaysia,” to use the words that UK’s The Guardian has used.
Malaysia has hung its head in shame since the last days of July 2015, when the then AG was unceremoniously sacked, allegedly to pre-empt a criminal charge against the Prime Minister. But we citizens are not ashamed of being Malaysian. It is our so-called leaders we are ashamed of.
The pertinent question is this: are our leaders as ashamed of themselves as we are of them? If these fresh allegations are proven to be indeed true, we’ll have a right to expect them to show shame for what they have done and apologise to the nation.