exclusive Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad had on Monday denied that the government paid disgraced US lobbyist Jack Abramoff US$1.2 million (RM4.6 million) to organise a 2002 meeting between him and President George W Bush.

However, he conceded that the multi-million ringgit payment was made to Abramoff - who has pleaded guilty to fraud and corruption charges - but he had no knowledge of who footed the bill.

"I understood some people paid a sum of money to lobbyists in America but I do not know who these people were and it was not the Malaysian government," Mahathir told reporters.

But why then an invoice was sent to the Malaysian embassy in Washington DC by Abramoff asking for US$300,000 (RM1.1 million) for unspecified 'services' [see image].

The one-page invoice, issued on June 15, 2001 was addressed to Dr Fauziah Mohamad Taib, who was then the deputy chief of mission of the Malaysian embassy in Washington DC.

Fauziah, who two years later was appointed Malaysian high commissioner in Fiji, is currently the Foreign Ministry's director-general of the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations.

According to the invoice, the RM1.1 million was for 'services' to be rendered over a two month period from June 19 to Aug 19, 2001. It, however, did not provide further details on what these services were.

It added that the check should be made to the American International Center (AIC), a bogus think tank set up by an Abramoff partner, Michael Scanlon, and was based at a Delaware beach house near Washington DC.

The invoice is part of the official records of the US Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, chaired by Senator John McCain, which conducted an investigation on Abramoff for defrauding American Indian tribes that sought his services in establishing their gambling operations.

It was discovered that Malaysian embassy gave AIC a cheque for US$300,000, which was dated March 6, 2002. It is unclear where this money came from if this was not from the government as claimed by Mahathir.

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Abramoff and Scanlon have since admitted using AIC to collect millions from their lobbying clients.

By routing the money in that way, Abramoff identified his client on federal lobbying disclosure forms as the Delaware-based center and avoided having to register with the Justice Department as an agent of a foreign government.

However, Abramoff is not the only lobbyist being paid for arranging the Mahathir-Bush meeting.

At least one other Washington lobbying firm - Alexander Strategies, which was run by an Abramoff friend and former chief of staff to then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay - was also compensated during this period for helping boost Malaysia's reputation in Washington.

That firm was also given credit in some circles for helping to arrange the White House meeting and separate trips for leading members of Congress, including DeLay and several Democrats, to Malaysia.

Alexander Strategies was linked to conservative think-tank Heritage Foundation, which was paid in excess of US$1 million (RM$3.7 million) between 2001 and 2003 from Malaysian business interests to lobby on behalf of Malaysian interests.

The payment was made through a Hong Kong-based company Belle Haven Consultants, which is linked to Heritage's president Edwin Feulner and former Malaysian deputy home minister Megat Junid Megat Ayub, a key Mahathir supporter.

Belle Haven - in which Megat Junid is believed to have a stake - had been tasked to spearhead a US$1.4 million (RM5.3 million) lobbying campaign, using the platform of the Heritage Foundation.

Some of the money was paid by PK Baru Energy, a Malaysian company established in 2000 with significant shareholding by Megat Junid and his son.

The million-dollar lobbying campaign eventually paid off.

Mahathir secured a White House meeting with Bush in May 2002.

In addition, Heritage helped host speeches on US-Malaysia relations - by then deputy premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and Defence Minister Najib Tun Razak - in the US on separate occasions in 2002.

- Malaysiakini