KUCHING: The Chief Minister of the State of Sarawak Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud has denied allegations by the Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) that the Swiss government is investigating his assets held in Swiss banks.
But that didn't impressed the people of Sarawak especially Taib's enemies who still insisted that.the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) to continue with their investigation and charge the Chief Minister.
Taib told the State Legislative Assembly yesterday that he had no secret Swiss bank account nor any asset or investment of any description in Switzerland.
"II wrote to Swiss president Micheline Calmy-Ray last month asking her to confirm if she had ordered an investigation by the Swiss Financial Marketing Supervisory Authority (Finma), as alleged by BMF, and to furnish me with a copy of the allegations so that I could seek appropriate legal redress.
"I also pledged to render my fullest cooperation to the Swiss federation to swiftly bring the truth to light so as to nail down all malicious reports," he told the Assembly.
BMF claimed on its website last month that Finma had been alerted to investigate Taib’s alleged assets in Swiss banks.
Taib added that the allegations by BMF were “utterly false and evidently politically motivated”.
He said BMF had a track record of making “scurrilous and scandalous” allegations against the state government.
“This includes the allegation of cutting down 90% of our rainforest, although local and international forestry experts have certified that 70% of our forests are still being preserved and sustainably managed.
“Therefore BMF’s false allegations about assets held in Switzerland by me are a continuation of their malicious efforts to smear the state, the government and the leaders,” he said.
Taib also said BMF’s allegation had been used by local politicians to advance their own political agenda against him and the state government.
He said as head of the state government and a member of the legislature, it was only right and proper for him to make a personal statement to the State Assembly on the allegation by BMF, a foreign NGO, which he said was not at all accountable to the people of Sarawak.
State Assembly Speaker Datuk Seri Mohd Asfia Awang Nassar said members of the august house would not be allowed to bring up the allegations against the Chief Minister in their debates during the sitting after Taib had given his explanation.
MACC has confirmed that it is currently investigating Abdul Taib following allegation of timber corruption.
Its commissioner Datuk Seri Abu Kassim Mohamed said MACC was in the process of gathering more information regarding the matter.
Abu Kassim was responding to a question on whether the MACC was looking at carrying out a similar action as the Swiss Anti-Corruption Agency, which recently froze the assets of Taib Mahmud over the allegation of timber corruption.
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