German Chancellor, Angela Merkel
Switzerland and German non-govermental organizations are pressuring German largest bank to severe business ties with Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud.
In a complaint letter sent to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the NGOs urging Deutsche Bank to severe its close business ties with Abdul Taib Mahmud (“Taib”), whom they described as one of South East Asia’s leading kleptocrats.
The Swiss Bruno Manser Fund, the Society for Threatened Peoples and Rettet den Regenwald, a Hamburg-based rainforest advocacy group were demanding the German government to clarify Deutsche Bank’s business ties with Taib and to freeze all Taib’s assets in Germany.
“We are seriously concerned that, as a leading German financial institute, Deutsche Bank is closely cooperating with the highly corrupt and internationally discredited Taib regime”, the NGOs wrote to Merkel.
“We feel that this cooperation cannot be in the interest of the German government, which is globally promoting the effective combating of corruption.”
According to the Swiss and German NGOs, Deutsche Bank have conducted numerous important business transactions for the Sarawak government, headed by Taib Mahmud.
In 2005, Deutsche Bank was the sole bookrunner for the US$ 600 million listing of Sarawak International Incorporated in Labuan, Malaysia’s offshore financial centre.
On December 2004, Deutsche Bank had arranged a US$ 135 million loan to Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), a state owned company controlled by Taib Mahmud.
Deutsche Bank International’s Jersey and Cayman branches are administering the Jersey-based Sogo Holdings Ltd., through which several illicit Taib family assets in the US are held.
In Malaysia, Deutsche Bank is running joint ventures with Cahya Mata Sarawak (CMS), the Taib family’s business flagship, under the names of K & N Kenanga Holdings and Kenanga Deutsche Futures.
Deutsche Bank is Germany’s largest bank and one of the world’s leading financial institutions.
The bank left unanswered several written requests by the Society for Threatened Peoples to explain its business ties with Taib.
The Malaysian politician is the main culprit behind the destruction of Sarawak’s tropical rainforests, the NGOs alleged.
Earlier this month, the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) confirmed it was investigating Taib for corruption.
In May 2011, the Swiss Financial Markets Supervisory Authority, FINMA, announced a probe into suspected Taib corruption assets in Swiss banks.
Bill Gates & Warren
Buffet give a chunk of their (self-made, hard-earned money) multi-billions to
charity. They didn’t even get a ‘Sir’ or ‘Datuk’. Here you have a giant
criminal rotten to the core, stealing from the state & people who elected
him, and you honour him with ‘Tan Sri, Datuk, Pehin, Patinggi, Abang….’ Laughing Stock! Outrageous, disgrace. He
should have been in jail years ago, and you are tolerating him day after day!
In some countries Najib would
be arrested & impeached for treason…
Malaysian PM Najib’s shelter
of wildly & uncontrollably corrupt Taib Mahmud is collusion, duplicity
& deception of his people. A betrayal of trust placed in a PM. This is
tantamount to Treason – violating one’s allegiance to one’s country. In
some countries he would be arrested and impeached.
Abolish MACC and start a new
Commission chaired jointly by BN & Opposition PR/PKR – that’s democracy!
UMNO & BN, time to do
soul-searching, repent before it is too late. The same warning goes to all the
Umno and Taib cronies; Mahathir, included.
Look at Gaddafi this week, and those before him. Retribution always
comes around.
Alan Newman, NZ.
Taib Mahmud and his family & cronies are challenged to
answer these questions:
(Cronies include: Hamed Sepawie, Awang Tengah, Len
Salleh, Nordin Mat Jais, Wahab Dollah,
Rahman Yaakub, timber & oil palm tycoons….it goes on & on)
Were timber concessions all over Sarawak
awarded by clear, public, gazette tenders for maximum returns to the State? Or
just dished out to your cronies?
The RM$5-10billion yearly in timber exports in the last 40
years? Totaling RM$200-400billion.
The RM$2-9billion yearly in oil palm exports in the last 15
years? Totaling RM$30-135billion.
The numerous blocks of land snatched up for various crops
& developments, worth billions of RM?
Isn’t your Cousin Hamed Sepawie (Sanyan, Naim, etc) in Malaysia’s
Rich-list?
Aren’t the numerous projects awarded to your CMS group &
cronies totalling billions?
Aren’t the resources & benefits fleeced, ‘sharked’ and
swallowed by your family members & cronies?
Aren’t the dozens of companies under your vicious wings
straddling the globe.?
How much shipping levies collected from timber export in the
last 30 years?
The billions of RM worth of real estate in various countries
grown from your honest salaries?
The death (likely murder) of Swiss activist Bruno Manser not
connected to you?.
The mental, psychological & physical torture of your
former Aide Ross Boyert for revelations, and his eventual death not caused by
you?
The vote-buying & rigging of elections weren’t obvious?
No deception of the people for 3 decades through Gov’t
controlled media?
This magnitude of you corruption & evil….is
mind-boggling & astronomical. You & your cronies have stolen mega
billions and caused the poverty and misery of millions of people.
You still have the cheek to continue lying. You should be tied
to a tree for weeks, spat on, whipped, knifed, then drawn by horses and quartered.
Alan Newman, NZ.