Pakatan Rakyat is calling for the authorities to arrest and investigate Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud and several family members in wake of a slew corruption allegations against them today in a letter by international NGOs from six countries.

In separate statements from all three Pakatan component parties today,said failure to do so would severely affect Malaysia's credibility locally and abroad.

These allegations outlined by the NGOs in a letter to the Attorney-General’s Chambers, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the inspector-general of police.

Among others, it outlines alleged misappropriation of public funds, abuse of power, misappropriation of state land, fraud, graft, conflict of interests and money-laundering by Taib and his family members.

Copies of the letter are being sent to all major foreign embassies in Malaysia, heads of government, cabinet ministers and prosecutors in seven countries, the top executives of 10 multinational corporations who conduct business in or with Sarawak and editors of leading media outlets.

“PAS Youth is concerned that if the government does not investigate these charges seriously, it would affect investments and tourism in that state. And the government would be accused of complicity in protecting criminals,” said PAS Youth vice-chief Raja Ahmad Al-Hiss.

NONE In addition, PKR vice-president N Surendran ( left ) claimed that Sarawakian wealth worth “hundreds of millions” are being smuggled out of country to his family’s private holdings.

“In exchange for their ‘fixed deposit’ of votes, which the BN desperately needs to hold on to power, they have allowed Taib to run Sarawak like his personal fiefdom,” he lamented.

He demanded the setting-up of a royal commission of inquiry to investigate all of Taib’s business interests, for a multi-agency taskforce to recover any “illegally obtained assets and property”, and for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to apologise for allowing Taib to “operate with impunity”.

Kit Siang wants prime ministerial statement

Meanwhile, DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang is demanding an explanation from Najib, including investigations into Taib’s previous corruption allegations .

“The unprecedented international and national joint charges against the Sarawak chief minister for being guilty of heinous crimes warrants the prime minister to make a special appearance in the Dewan Negara to give a prime ministerial statement on the status of

investigations which had been conducted by the various enforcement agencies against Taib to date,” he said.

NONE The allegations were contained in a 10-page letter today, which describes 16 exhibits that are said to document the accusation against Taib’s family.

It alleges that Taib and his immediate family members have a stake in 332 Malaysian and 85 foreign companies, of which the known family stake in 14 large Malaysian companies account for US$1.46 billion of the family’s wealth.

Taib is already facing investigations in Malaysia and abroad that timber industry profits in Sarawak were pilfered to enrich family-owned companies, but he and his family members had consistently denied specific allegations against them.

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