PAS’ Federal Territories Youth Chief Nurul Islam Mohamed Yusoff said that what the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) revealed about Dr Mahathir in its declassified reports recently shouldn’t be taken lightly.
This is especially when former Bank Negara Malaysia assistant governor Abdul Murad Khalid himself had said no investigation was ever done despite the massive losses suffered by the country, Nurul Islam added.
“A new investigation paper should be opened on Mahathir, following the new revelations by CIA involving various scandals under the administration of the former prime minister.
“The police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission must act immediately,” he said in a statement issued today.
The scandal which made the headlines back in the 1980s was given new life, following the CIA report.
The document claimed that although “no direct links” had been established between Mahathir and the BMF scandal, “the hint of association” had damaged the administration of Mahathir.
It also said the most damaging aspect of the scandal was the “alleged connection of (now defunct Carrian group and former chief executive officer) George Tan to Umno officials”.
Nurul Islam said that as the CIA report was available worldwide, it was important that the authorities take prompt action to reduce possible damage to the country’s credibility and integrity, which were already badly affected by other scandals such as 1MDB.
“This will also allow for legal action to be taken against those involved.
“Past dirt must be cleaned, so the rights of those who were wronged can be returned while at the same time, the country’s exploited systems can be corrected.”
He also said that it is high time for Malaysians to find out the truth behind the scandals that arose when Mahathir led the country for over two decades.
“The government, Bank Negara, police, and MACC need to make sure no stones are left unturned, so justice can be upheld.”
The BMF scandal saw hundreds of millions of dollars lost overnight when the Carrian group collapsed in 1983, in Hong Kong’s largest bankruptcy.
Mahathir, under the spotlight, cited parts of the CIA report which mentioned that “the prime minister then was not in any way, personally or directly linked to the BMF issue”.
“This can be found at page 4 of that report under the sub-heading ‘Assessing the Political Damage’, which states: ‘Thus far no direct links have been established between Mahathir and the corruption at BMF’,” he wrote on his blog on Thursday.