PROBE SOURCE OF FUNDS, MACC URGED
TMI received RM3m from an unknown source, alleges Jaringan Melayu Malaysia
ANON-GOVERNMENTAL organisation, Jaringan Melayu Malaysia (JMM), has claimed that there were irregularities in the funding of news portal The Malaysian Insight (TMI).
JMM president Datuk Azwanddin Hamzah said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should investigate the portal and its source of funding.
“We want MACC to investigate whether the money received was through corruption or if there is a possibility that the money received from overseas is part of an agenda,” he said after lodging a report at the MACC’s headquarters here yesterday.
Azwanddin referred to allegations that RM3 million was given to TMI with no proper transaction records indicating where the money came from.
“We received a complaint from My Aduan Rasuah and also obtained a few documents which we believe were authentic and given by a source in TMI,” he said.
My Aduan Rasuah is a portal managed by JMM.
The pressure group, with an entourage of some 10 people, led by Azwanddin submitted a-12 page report to the graft busters yesterday.
“We hope MACC will open an investigation paper based on our report on the RM3 million received by the company which we believe is a foreign funding to disrupt public order and create political and economic turmoil in the country. We have provided documents, including transaction proofs to MACC,” he said.
Azwanddin also urged MACC to investigate the accounts of the owner, the directors, the secretary, the lawyers and also the staff, including reporters.
He also alleged that the board of directors of Inside Media Sdn Bhd, the holding company for TMI, were the same as the Inside Asia Pte Ltd, a Hong Kong-based company.
“Apart from information pertaining to the RM3 million, we also submitted documents relating to Inside Media Sdn Bhd and the Hong Kong-based company for investigation,” he said.
He also urged the Immigration
Department to stop 20 of TMI management and staff from leaving the country on Dec 20.
He said he had information that 20 tickets had been booked for the company’s management and staff to leave for London.
“I believe this is because of my
revelation on them. I hope the Immigration Department will stop them from leaving the country until the investigation is over.”
Meanwhile, TMI chief executive officer and editor Jahabar Sadiq was quoted by an online news website that it was up to the authorities
to investigate JMM’s allegations.
“Those are his allegations. I guess if the authorities want to investigate (and) if anything we do is deemed to be against Malaysian law, (then) I’m sure they will investigate us,” he said.