Just a small fraction of companies linked to the family of Sarawak governor Abdul Taib Mahmud gives them a fortune amounting to almost RM4 billion, says Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) executive director Lukas Straumann.

Based on the research by his Swiss-based NGO, Straumann said in Petaling Jaya today, Taib’s four children and his siblings own a total of 333 companies in Malaysia and 418 around the world.

Of these, the family stake in the top 14 Malaysian-based, Taib-linked companies amounts to RM3.95 billion. This is based on information provided by the Companies Commission of Malaysia (CCM).

“We saw (based on the CCM data) what the official Taib family stake is.

"I’m sure there are more stakes unofficially held, but we came to a figure of RM3.9 billion for the Taib family assets in these 14 companies alone.

“This is only the tip of the iceberg, of course. As I told you, there are over 400 companies,” Straumann  ( left ) said.

He was speaking in Petaling Jaya as part of a global tour for the launch of his book, ‘Money Logging: On the Trail of the Asian Timber Mafia”.

One name linking all

The book implicates the former Sarawak chief minister and his family in corruption, money laundering and abuse of power in the state’s logging industry, although they had consistently denied any wrongdoing.

 

However, Straumann pointed out that Abdul Taib was a lawyer by training and is cautious enough to keep his name out of public records.

 

He also cast doubt on Abdul Taib’s claims that he had given his daughter Jamilah Taib money in 1981 to start a business and was not involved.

 

To prove this, Straumann showed the audience at the launch a purported mortgage document dated October 1996, lending CAD20 million (RM58.7 million) to Jamilah to be held in trust.

 

The document mentioned an earlier agreement dated December 1995, when Jamilah, Onn Mahmud (Abdul Taib’s brother), Leila Taib (late wife), Mahmud Taib (son), Rahman Taib (son), and two companies, are parties to the agreement.

 

“This has to be a financial agreement. This is clear evidence that there is a financial relationship between Sakto, Jamilah, and all the Taib family members.

 

“All these children and his wife, plus two offshore companies, did a major CAD20 million deal and he claims he is not involved? I don’t buy it.

 

“It’s him. The only person who links all these people is Taib Mahmud himself,” Straumann said.

 

Sakto refers to Sakto Development Corporation in Canada, which is the charger of the properties involved in the mortgage and a Taib-linked company.

 

'Foreign interference'

Straumann also rebutted Abdul Taib’s objections to what he sees as foreign interference in Sarawak’s affairs, saying that the alleged wrongdoings also involved foreign institutions.

 

He asserted that foreigners have a right to “interfere” because foreign banks are involved, and the alleged crimes can also be prosecuted internationally.

 

“Corruption is not just based in Malaysia, because the transaction is being done overseas secretly. A property in the US changes hands,while in Malaysia, something is happening.

 

“This is also one of the reasons why we want to go after corrupt individuals and politicians. We have to do international research because they are internationally linked,” he added.

Meanwhile, several panelists at the book launch urged West Malaysians to be more concerned of the plight of indigenous peoples in Sarawak displaced by the logging and hydroelectric projects, because the issues that affect them also affect West Malaysians.

 

“Electricity tariffs had just gone up as you know, as we warned years ago, and they will continue to rise when expensive projects like the dams are proposed, when less expensive alternatives are available, and the government refuses to opt for these alternatives.

 

“West Malaysians should also be concerned about the use of your Employee’s Provident Fund, which is used as a ‘soft option’ for dam projects when they cannot find banks to back them, as they have used in (the) Bakun (dam project),” said Suaram advisor Kua Kia Soong at the book launch.

 

Kua’s sentiments were also echoed by Save Sarawak Rivers Network chairperson Peter Kallang.

Book exposes greed in Sarawak timber trade