The Attorney-General's Chambers has received the second Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) investigation papers against Suara Inisiatif Sdn Bhd and is awaiting the Registrar of Societies' (ROS) report to initiate legal proceedings against human right group Suaram.

NONE Domestic Trade, Cooperatives and Consumerism Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the AG did not reject CCM's second investigation papers submitted in early October.

Ismail said this at a press conference after witnessing the handing over ceremony of vans to mosques, religious schools and orphanages at Bank Rakyat in Kuala Lumpur today.

“(The second) report was not rejected (by the AG). (We submitted) it a month ago. We have already finished our job,” he said.

However, Ismail said, he was informed that the AG's Chambers is still waiting for ROS, which comes under the Home Ministry, to complete its investigation of Suaram.

‘Maybe not wrong to get foreign funds’

He said the AG's Chambers was trying to uncover a link between Suara Inisiatif and Suaram and he therefore urged the ROS to speed up its probe.

"I've urged ROS speed up its investigation, it doesn't need such a long time to verify Suaram's registration status."

NONE Asked whether action would be taken against news portal  Malaysiakini for receiving foreign funds, Ismail said the Domestic Trade Ministry had no jurisdiction in this.

“If ( Malaysiakini ) receives foreign funds, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) should investigate it. Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission also has the right (to act on the online portal), but we don’t.”

He reiterated that there may be nothing wrong to accept foreign funds if the recipient did not commit a crime under Anti-Money Laundering Act, subject to BNM’s discretion.

“However if the funds are used for subversive activity and threaten national security, it may be questioned on legality.”

On his earlier announcement that Suaram would be charged in court in mid-September, Ismail said that the readers might not have read the news reports in depth.

 “The newspaper headline stated ‘Suaram will be charged’. But if you read my full statement, I said that Suaram will be charged, but subject to the AG’s discretion.

“Most of us are lazy. We only read headlines, not the full context,” Ismail added.

He had said in early September that there was a ‘ high level of suspicion' over Suara Inisiatif, claiming that the company is linked to Suaram.

On Sept 18, he had  announced that the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM) hoped to charge Suara Inisiatif within two days.

However, the AG's Chambers returned the investigation papers to CCM the next day, on grounds that the investigation was incomplete.

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