New allegations have emerged about former Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff , who is believed to have received a RM1.14 million payment from the Malaysian government for his services in 2002.

On July 13, The Hill Newspaper reported that Abramoff and his former associate Michael Scanlon are currently the target of investigations by the US Justice Department and two Senate inquiries.

They are probing the alleged bilking of Indian tribes of more than US$60 million (RM228 million).

In a statement yesterday, Parti Keadilan Rakyat deputy president Dr Syed Husin Ali quoted the report in demanding full disclosure of the government's connection with Abramoff and Scanlon.

"The government must explain why our politicians are associated with these (allegedly) shady figures," he said.

Beach house

In April, the Washington Post had reported that Abramoff was linked to think-tank American International Centre (AIC) and that his former associates had produced documents to show that the Malaysian government had paid the organisation.

Through a Justice Department investigation, it was discovered that the Malaysian embassy in the US had given AIC a cheque for US$300,000 (RM1.14 million) dated March 6, 2002.

Syed Husin alleged that AIC was a front "created in part to hide Abramoff's representation of Malaysia".

According to him, another Washington Post report last month revealed that Scanlon had set up AIC at Rehoboth Beach - a resort town on the Atlantic Ocean coast of the US, an hour from Washington DC.

"It was found that the (AIC) building was actually a beach house and that the staff who manned this 'international think tank' were a former lifeguard and a yoga instructor," Syed Husin said.

"It is interesting to note that the highest officer at the embassy at that time was a brother-in-law of (former finance minister) Daim (Zainuddin) - one Dato' Ghazali."

However, he could not provide the full name of the embassy official or make a direct link between him and the payment to Abramoff.

Questions abound

In April, the Washington Post had disclosed that Mahathir had allegedly paid Washington lobbyists at least RM5.3 million through the US-based Heritage Foundation to persuade the White House to agree to the visit.

Hong Kong-based The Standard reported at the time that Malaysia's wooing of Washington was engineered by the US-Malaysia Exchange Assosication (Usmea), an organisation that works to improve relations between Kuala Lumpur and Washington.

Usmea and Belle Haven Consultants - a company linked to Heritage Foundation - are reported to have spearheaded the lobbying campaign using the platform of Heritage Foundation.

Former deputy home minister Megat Junid Megat Ayob had chaired Usmea and was believed to have a stake in Belle Haven.

Syed Husin questioned the bare denial by the foreign affairs ministry when it responded to Parliament on April 25, stating that the expenses for Mahathir's visit were met by the government and that the accounts were audited according to procedure.

The ministry had also claimed to be in the dark on the purported lobbying prior to the visit and stressed that the visit had been arranged through diplomatic channels upon receipt of an invitation from US president George W Bush.

Syed Husin, however, said a better explanation was required especially in relation to the role of Mahathir and loyalists Daim and Megat Junid.

"Some things have not been explained, such as how much was paid? Was it overpayment or not? To whom was the amount paid?" he said when contacted for comments today.

"For instance, in the matter of approved permits, revealing the list of holders is not enough - there must be an explanation as to why this happened and whether any malpractice was involved," he added.

"Similarly, merely saying the government paid for Dr Mahathir's trip is not enough."