Scandal Of SALCO – How Taib Plans To Make Billions From Bakun. Exclusive!

Displaced families, who have received so little compensation from Bakun, may be interested to learn how Taib and his own family are planning to make billions for themselves out of the hydro-electric dam, based on an investment of just RM2.00!

We can reveal that SALCO (Sarawak Aluminium Company Sdn Bhd), the company that has been handed a licence to build a vast smelter in Simalaju, powered by cheap electricity from the dam, is secretively entirely owned by the Taib family company, CMS.

So far, they have only issued two shares for the company, worth a mere one ringgit each!

Money Laundering? Questions In Australia For Taib’s Brother Onn – EXCLUSIVE!

Wanted for questioning? Taib’s brother
and long time business
associate Onn Mahmud

Chief Minister, Taib Mahmud’s business-partner brother Onn has left some very awkward questions to be answered in Sydney, where his family lives in one of the city’s smartest houses, over-looking the harbour bridge.

Documents obtained by Sarawak Report plainly show that Onn Mahmud has offered conflicting information to the Australian authorities, in order first to obtain a Business Visa and then to export the profits from a series of multi-million dollar property transactions.

Incorrect information given to the authorities includes claiming that a foreign based company, Ryan Park Limited, which was used to sponsor his visa application, was an “Australian Private Company” registered in Australia.

We can further reveal that Onn Mahmud has bought and sold tens of millions of dollars worth of investments in Sydney real estate, through an elaborate network of off-shore companies, based in the Cayman Islands and managed by a top American bank, Merrill Lynch, from offices located in the Isle of Man.

Taib Grabs Yet More Billions Out Of Sarawak’s Destruction!

Why? - Australia's Miles Kupa has been assisting
key deals between O M Holdings and Sarawak

Australia’s support for Taib Mahmud’s SCORE project is becoming ever more deeply questionable, as the corruption surrounding every project in which it has sought to be involved gets plainer by the day.

The message should be coming through clear by now.  If you do business with Taib Mahmud’s Sarawak then you are immersing yourself in a world of bribery, backhanders and theft from the people of Borneo.

Sime Darby’s Greenwash Scandal!

Sime Darby is Malaysia’s largest company and the world’s largest palm oil conglomerate. It is predominately owned and controlled by the Malaysian Government.

So, maybe little surprise that it is enmeshed in corruption, as laid bare by the arrest and charges against its former Chief Executive this week over the misappropriation of millions of ringgit.

Promises Are Even Cheaper Than Bribes – Sibu’s ‘University’ Pledges

Yet another election, yet another promise that a university
will be provided for Sibu - but its a sham

For half a century UMNO/BN and Taib have sucked out billions of ringgit from Sarawak’s natural resources.

In return they have given cheap bribes at election time to the impoverished local people, who have seen none of the benefit of this wealth.

But promises are even cheaper than bribes and BN politicians are therefore even more fond of making these at election time than paying hard cash!

BN YB Roland Sagah’s ‘Cottage Industry’ – Expose!

 Outraged readers of Sarawak Report have been queuing up to dish the dirt on BN’s Dirty Datuks over the past few days.

We have received widespread information about corrupted practices from insiders, who are clearly sickened by the greedy YBs, who have been cheating their constituents for decades.

Bengoh natives still blur about compensation package

Corrupt Barisan Nasional l KUCHING: The Sarawak government must pay the families and villagers who are affected by the construction of the Bengoh Dam adequate compensation that takes into account their immediate and long term needs.

Making this call, a former diplomat John Tenewi Nuek said the villagers had made a “tremendous and invaluable sacrifice” in leaving their ancestral sites.

“The affected villagers are making tremendous and invaluable sacrifices for the construction of the dam and it is only fair and just that they be given a comprehensive, adequate and fair package of compensation that takes into account their short-term as well as their long-term interests.

“All efforts must be taken to ensure that they don’t end up poorer and more marginalised.

‘Monument of Corruption’ still gets flak

Corrupt Barisan Nasional l by M Jegathesan

BAKUN DAM: The first turbine is spinning, electricity is pulsing out, and the water level is climbing in the Borneo jungle behind Malaysia’s huge US$2.2 billion Bakun hydroelectric dam.

But questions continue to swirl around the viability of a project described by critics as a graft-plagued human and ecological disaster – and as opposition mounts against a dozen other planned dams in Sarawak.

The first turbine from French giant Alstom began producing electricity in August and the dam’s reservoir has swelled to the size of Singapore since impoundment began a year ago.

After years of warnings about the impact on Sarawak’s pristine jungles and the forced removal of thousands of local tribespeople, the dam’s head Zulkifle Osman sees light at the end of the tunnel.

During a tour of the facility, the managing director of Sarawak Hidro, who has overseen construction since 2000, defended the dam despite an electricity surplus in the state and the lack of a market for its power.

BYE BYE SARAWAK REPORTS!

Corrupt Barisan Nasional l Taib Mahmud’s $5million dollar a year ‘Cyber-war Campaign’ has conceded a humiliating defeat, with the final demise of the site ‘Sarawak Reports’.

Sarawak Reports was part of a vicious network of internet sites, set up by the crooked UK-based production FBC Media, in a hired attempt to undermine this blog and to attack the opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim.

By adopting a virtually identical name to our own, FBC clearly hoped they could confuse web-surfers into reading their pro-Taib propaganda, instead of our research into Taib’s 30 years of corrupt government.

However, there is little evidence that readers were in fact fooled but this costly exercise.  The site never dared to publish the handful of comments it received for its stories, which were little more than dreary ‘puff pieces’ praising Taib’s ‘progress and development’ policies.

RAZIAH GRABS MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR FOREST FOR JUST RM 250!

Victims of the Land Grab - Ibans of Kampong Ensika

Corrupt Barisan Nasional l In an act of breathtaking meanness and greed the multi-billionaire Taib family are seeking to deprive impoverished Ibans of one of Sarawak’s last remaining hardwood forests, for a paltry compensation of just RM250 per family.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Report has received exclusive new leaks which indicate that the Chief Minister himself stands to personally profit by a million times that amount (an estimated RM250,000,00) in corrupt backhanders from the deal.

Authorities ignore Taib-linked company’s faults

Corrupt Barisan Nasional l KUCHING: The contractors of a RM50 million flyover project here is flouting the law but the authorities appear reluctant to act, according to Sarawak DAP.

The party is now questioning the manner in which the construction of the Jalan Tun Jugah flyover is being carried out.

The contract was awarded to a company which is allegedly connected to family of Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud.

Not surprising because the bulk of major contracts here are handed out to either Cahaya Mata Sarawak (CMS) or Naim Holdings which in turn subcontract it out to other Taib family or crony linked companies. Both CMS are Naim are directly linked to Taib.

SEPAWI’S GRUBBY DEAL EXPOSED!

Ta Ann's Annual Report of 2002 stated its ownership
of 30% of Grand Perfect Sdn Bhd.

Corrupt Barisan Nasional l Prompted by the outburst of his own lawyers, Sarawak Report has now dug up further details about Hamid Sepawi’s dubious dealings over the plantation company Grand Perfect Sdn Bhd.

They raise questions of potential criminality on the part of the Chief Minister’s cousin and negligence of the rules of disclosure by two companies he runs, Ta Ann Bhd and Grand Perfect.

It was earlier this week that Ta Ann, the logging and oil palm conglomerate of which Sepawi is Executive Chairman, created a great fuss because the Sarawak PKR leader, Baru Bian, had allegedly said it owned 30% of Grand Perfect.

The lawyers threatened to sue Baru Bian, because they clearly implied such an association was damaging to Ta Ann’s reputation!  They demanded he apologise ”for making a gross error in my statement and for any embarrassment, damage to their [Ta Ann's] reputation and credibility caused“.

‘US government knew about corrupt Taib’

Corrupt Barisan Nasional l KUCHING: The US government, it appears, has been fully aware of Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s allegedly corrupt ways, according to a US diplomatic confidential cable leaked by WikiLeaks.

The cable said the US authorities have been in know “for years” about his abuses.

Most of Taib’s wealth allegedly stemmed from the destructive logging of Sarawak’s rainforests.

Disclosing the cable to the State Department in Washington dated Oct 13, 2006, the whistleblower website said the US embassy in Kuala Lumpur had noted that “Taib and his relatives are widely thought to extract a percentage from most major commercial contracts – including those for logging – awarded in the state (Sarawak)…”

Baram Dam: Lying govt and big companies

Joseph Tawie

 | Corrupt Barisan Nasional

KUCHING: The deceitful and insidious manner by which the state government is going about with the construction of the Baram Dam has angered the Orang Ulu communities in the dam project vicinity.

Orang Ulu National Association Miri (OUNA) chairman Pete Kallang said: “As one of those affected I just can’t understand this injustice and this outrageous and abusive exploitation.

“Why, it could be seen as an act in complete disregard for our well-being and opinion.

“This could be proven by the priority given to the preparatory construction activities done even before the proper Social Impact Assessment (SIA) and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are completed or perhaps not even started and made accessible to affected and interested parties.

Sarawak govt ‘constantly’ ignoring court rulings

KUCHING: State opposition PKR has accused the Sarawak government of “abusing and misusing” the office of the state Attorney-General’s Chambers (A-G) to defend the wrong-doings of a few who continue grabbing native customary rights (NCR) land.

According to PKR vice-chairman See Chee How, the state government is “constantly” denying court rulings favouring natives on NCR land.

“The High Courts, the Court of Appeal and even the Federal Court have spoken and ruled on the recognition of NCR according to the customary practice of the natives concerned, but the state government chose to have its own restrictive interpretation.

“The state government is in its denial mode and likely to continue doing so, no matter how many cases are decided in favour of the native communities that have chosen to stand up against the state Barisan Nasional regime.

WE RELEASE THE DOCUMENTS – EXCLUSIVE PROOF!

FBC Media's PR Chief/ Executive 

Programme Editor Alan Friedman

Sarawak Report has received a copy of the actual letter and contract sent by FBC Media Chairman, Alan Friedman, to Chief Minister Taib Mahmud, outlining their illegal PR campaign.

The total cost for FBC’s ‘Global Strategic Communications Proposal’ came to $5 million in the first year alone in a campaign designed to last at least 3 years. 

Sources close to BN have told us that the project was first outlined verbally in meetings between Alan Friedman and the Chief Minister, after the FBC Media Chairman was invited to Kuching at the start of the year.

Separate divisions?

Battle starts for natives suing Taib’s sister

KUCHING: The hearing of a lawsuit against Chief Minister Taib Mahmud’s sister, Raziah Mahmud, has begun.

The lawsuit was filed by natives Numpang Anak Suntai and 14 others on behalf of 276 Iban landowners of Sebangan/Sebuyau.

The suit, which is against Quality Concrete Sdn Bhd and Loyal Billion Sdn Bhd, is being heard at the Kuching High Court.

Quality Concrete, which is owned by Raziah, is alleged to have encroached into 3,305 hectares of forest which the Ibans have claimed as their native customary rights (NCR) land.

Taib’s ‘rogue’ PR campaign, thanks to Najib

CORRUPT BARISAN NASIONAL : KUCHING: When Sarawak Chief Minister Taib Mahmud hired FBC Media, it was to counter widespread negative reports of him.

Nothing wrong with hiring a PR company, is there?

Taib needed it, more so after revelations surfaced of his immense personal wealth and billions of dollars in global business links allegedly derived from timber concessions dating back to the 1980s.

The Swiss-based Bruno Manser Fund had linked and blacklisted 49-companies in eight countries to Taib and his family.

To top this opposition, environmentalists and conservationist here and abroad have claimed that under his rule 70% of Sarawak’s rainforest have been deforested and indigenous communities marginalised, abused and ignored.

EXPOSED ! – THE BEARDED BLOGGER BEHIND THE DIRTY TRICKS CAMPAIGNS

Corrupt Barisan Nasional 

Sarawak Report can reveal that a key orchestrator behind the dirty tricks campaigns that have been waged against Anwar Ibrahim, Gordon Brown and Sarawak Report is a ginger-bearded American blogger named Josh Trevino.

Trevino claims he was a speech-writer for George Bush and he is a founder of the popular Republican blog, Red State.  His outspoken, far-right views have provoked controversy in the US, where he has been striving to make a name for himself via the internet.  

Those provocative views are, however, unlikely to appeal to his Malaysian clients in BN, who, nevertheless, have clearly being paying him and his associates to defame their political enemies and boost their own publicity.

FUNNY BUSINESS IN HONG KONG

Sarawak's timber has been shipped out over the past 30 years
- has the money been shipped in to Taib-linked bank accounts?

Corrupt Barisan Nasional : MACC Investigators have a headache in store for them when they turn to Hong Kong, such is the tangled web of Taib family shareholdings. 

However, delving into these business concerns will throw up some intriguing coincidences, as Sarawak Report’s own researches can already demonstrate.

We can also demonstrate how a number of Taib-linked companies are now owned or being managed out of the BVI by one of the Philippine’s top bankers Franciso C Sebastian, who started his career as a Financial Advisor in Hong Kong.  We suggest that investigations in Hong Kong hold the key to tracing the early development of Taib’s international web of global investments as the profits from felling Sarawak’s rainforests escaped abroad.