Arrest Taib call: Interpol passes the buck

MalaysiaKini

Despite fervent calls by foreign NGOs for Sarawak Chief Minister Abdul Taib Mahmud to be arrested on charges of corruption, the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) said such action can only prompted by local authorities.

This was the answer given to Swiss-based Bruno Manser Fund (BMF), which is spearheading the international campaign against the longest-serving chief minister in Malaysia.

According to a press statement by BMF, Interpol’s general secretariat stated that “Interpol’s assistance may be activated only by the decision of the competent domestic authorities and at the request of the national contact point – National Central Bureau (NCB)”.




“Should you wish to trigger criminal proceedings against the individuals at stake, you are kindly advised to contact the national police and/or judiciary.”

BMF said that according to Interpol’s website, the NCB for Malaysia is directly under the command of the inspector-general of police, the head of Malaysia’s

102,000 strong police force.

A litany of charges

Early last month, BMF and 16 other NGOs based in six countries urged Malaysia to arrest Taib and 13 of his family members for “abuse of public office, corruption and conspiracy to form a criminal organisation”, among other accusations.

A 10-page letter detailing the their allegations had been sent to the Malaysian authorities by registered mail, but according to BMF, the authorities had failed to acknowledge receipt of the NGOs’ complaint.

Research by BMF had shown that the Taib family holds stakes in over 400 companies in 25 countries and offshore jurisdictions with an estimated worth of several billion US dollars.

The Swiss NGO alleged that these Taib family assets are illicit assets acquired by the systematic breach of the law and the use of illegal methods.

Taib is already facing investigations in Malaysia and abroad following allegations that profits from timber industries in Sarawak have been used to enrich family-owned companies.

However, Taib and his family members have consistently denied the allegations made against them.