KENYATAAN MEDIA PARTI RAKYT MALAYSIA (PRM)

BPR MASIH BERDOLAK DALIK TENTANG ERIC CHIA

Aneh juga kerana Badan Pencegah Rasuah (BPR) alih-alih bertubi-tubi
mengeluarkan kenyataan ia sudah mempunyai bukti tentang sejumlah wang yang
lesap daripada  Syarikat Perwaja semasa Tan Seri Eric Chia menjadi Pengerusi
Eksekutif. Kami mengatakan aneh kerana selama empat tahun BPR memberi alasan
mereka mengalami kesulitan  hendak mengumpul bukti dari luar negeri.

Hanya selepas Eric Chia mengumumkan melalui Singapore Straits Times bahawa
beliau telah mengumpul cukup bukti dari negeri-negeri Brazil, Chile, Itali
dan  Jepun, barulah BPR mengumumkan bahawa mereka pun sudah dapat menjejak
sejumlah wang yang kononnya telah dibayar oleh Perwaja. Bezanya ialah Eric
Chia mendakwa bahawa beliau dapat mengumpul segala bukti dan dokumen dalam
tempoh enam bulan saja, akan tetapi sebaliknya BPR masih mengatakan mereka
belum dapat menyelesaikan penyiasatan selepas empat tahun berlalu.

Kami beranggapan kelewatan BPR ini seolah-olah disengajakan. Adakah kerana
Eric Chia sengaja hendak diselamatkan selama ini oleh kerana hubungan
rapatnya dengan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad?

Sudah berkali-kali kami menegaskan bahawa kes yang boleh segera diambil
terhadap Perwaja dan Eric Chia ialah berhubung RM76.4 juta yang dibayar
kepada NKK Corporation melalui Frilsham Enterprises Inc. di Hongkong. Semasa
perkara ini didedahkan dalam Parlimen oleh Timbalan Perdana Menteri waktu
itu, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, sudah diketahui bahawa Frilsham Enterprises
Inc. itu tidak wujud.

Sekarang Ketua Pengarah BPR mengakui mereka telah menjejaki bahawa jumlah
wang itu telah dimasukkan ke dalam akaun bank di Switzerland. Selaku Ketua
Pengarah BPR, Datuk Mohd Zaki Hussein, menjelaskan bahawa susah hendak
dituduh bahawa rasuah telah berlaku. Mungkin wang itu merupakan satu
transaksi perniagaan. Jadi penyiasatan lanjut perlu dilakukan.

Kami tidak faham. Sekiranya wang sebanyak RM76.4 jua itu telah digunakan
untuk perniagaan, mengapakah dari mula-mula lagi Eric Chia tidak pernah
menjelaskan wang itu memang sebenarnya digunakan untuk tujuan perniagaan?
Mengapakah sampai sekarang pun, selepas empat tahun, BPR tidak mendapat
penjelasan atau bukti daripada Eric Chia bahawa wang itu telah digunakan
untuk tujuan perniagaan?

Selagi BPR melambat-lambatkan tindakannya ke atas Eric Chia dan ke atas
keterangan yang dibuat oleh Datuk Shafie Yahya, bekas  Ketua Pengarah BPR,
dalam mahkamah baru-baru ini terhadap Perdana Menteri, rakyat umum tidak
akan mempercayainya.

Dr Syed Husin Ali
Presiden PRM                                                                
                     14hb September 2000

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MEDIA STATEMENT BY PARTI RAKYAT MALAYSIA (PRM)

ACA STILL DILLY DALLYING OVER ERIC CHIA

It is queer that the Anti-Corruption Agency is all of a sudden repeatedly
issuing statements that it already has evidence regarding part of the money
that disappeared from Perwaja company during the time Tan Seri Eric Chia was
its Executive Chairman. We say queer because for the last four years the ACA
has consistently given the excuse that it was facing difficulty in
collecting evidence from foreign countries.

Only after Eric Chia announced through the Singapore Straits Times that he
has collected enough proofs from such countries as Brazil, Chile, Italy and
Japan, did the ACA declare that it has been able to trace an amount of money
which was supposed to have been paid out by Perwaja. The difference is that
Eric Chia claims that he took only six months to gather all the documentary
evidence, while on the other hand the ACA, after four years, is still saying
that it is not able to conclude the investigations yet.

We suspect that the delay in the ACA investigation might be deliberate. Is
it true that there might be an attempt to save Eric Chia, merely because of
his close relationship with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad?

We have emphasised several times before that immediate action could have
been taken on Perwaja and Eric Chia regarding the RM76.4 million that was
paid to NKK Corporation through Frilsham Enterprises in Hongkong. When the
matter was brought up in Parliament by the then Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk
Seri Anwar Ibrahim, it was already known that Frilsham Enterprises did not
exist.

Now the Director General of ACA announces that the agency has traced that
that amount of money has been deposited into a Swiss account. As Director
General, Datuk Mohd Zaki Hussein, explained that it is difficult to say that
corruption has indeed taken place, for it is possible that the money was
used for a business transaction. And so, further investigation is required.

We just fail to understand this. If the RM76.4 million was really used in a
business transaction, why was it Eric Chia did not explain right from the
beginning that it was used for business? Why is it until now, after four
years have passed, the ACA has not been able to get an explanation from Eric
Chia that that amount was used for none other than business purpose?

As long as the ACA is seen as delaying actions on Eric Chia and on the
evidence given in court recently by Datuk Shafie Yahya, former Director
General of ACA, against the Prime Minister, it will not have any credibility
among the general public.

Dr Syed Husin Ali
President PRM
14th September 2000