1MDB

FEAR OF FRYING 

Historians have noted that the world moved from being flat to round to simply, being crooked. 

But consider its scale. If the Malaysian duo of Fearless and Felonious (Malaysian ex-premier Najib Razak and  Jho Low) rewrote global fraud records with their US$5 billion heist in  2011, a new fraudster has emerged to rain upon their charade.  

On Thursday, Judge Lewis Kaplan sentenced former crypto tycoon Sam Bankman-Fried  to 25 years for stealing US$8 billion from customers of his now-bankrupt FTX cryptocurrency exchange.

Crypto, as everyone knows, is the new Greek as in “it’s all crypto to me.” Even its root, “cryptic” is from the  Greek “hidden” and comes across as “mysterious” or “obscure.” 

Which sums up cryptocurrency. Essentially, it’s a digital currency that’s created from encryption technologies. These technologies mean they function both as a currency and as a virtual accounting system. You might say it’s gold for nerds. 

Cryptocurrencies have become increasingly accepted as a medium of exchange worldwide. All one needs to trade in it is a cryptocurrency wallet with your own PIN number. And even God can’t help if you forget your PIN.  

None of the developed countries have recognised digital currencies as legal tender but that could change. Presently, El Salvador is the only  country that  recognises bitcoin as legal tender.   

For students of history, it was actually Felonious who hit upon the idea of a cryptocurrency way back when. He thought he would call it Decibel. It was a word that resonated with him and it had all the hallmarks of a sound investment. But 1MDB was, shall we say, simpler and, like Everest, was there for the taking.

But I digress. 

If there are cryptocurrencies, there must be exchanges where it can be traded. Bankman’s FTX was the third largest exchange in the US with over a million users. 

It went bankrupt in 2022 after a spike in depositor withdrawals revealed a massive US$8 billion hole in its accounts. Criminal charges weren’t far behind for Bankman, a math prodigy once estimated by Forbes to be worth US$26 billion. 

Bankman, 32, was found  guilty in November 2023 on fraud and conspiracy charges in what prosecutors called one of the biggest financial frauds in US history.

Kaplan said the sentence reflected “that there is a risk that this man will be in a position to do something very bad in the future. And it’s not a trivial risk at all.”

To his credit,  Bankman-Fried stood and apologised. “A lot of people feel really let down. And they were very let down. And I’m sorry about that. I’m sorry about what happened at every stage,” he said. “My useful life is probably over. It’s been over for a while now, from before my arrest.”

It could have been a lot worse for him. Bankman-Fried could have received up to 110 years behind bars for his crimes. The 25-year sentence was also less than the 40-50 years that the prosecution sought.

The leniency may have come from his effective altruism. The former magnate had believed in donating all or part of one’s wealth to charity rather than, say, volunteering at a soup kitchen. And he had donated liberally in the past.  

Even so, he had embezzled customer funds systematically and over a long period. 

“The defendant victimised tens of thousands of people and companies, across several continents, over a period of multiple years. He stole money from customers across several continents who entrusted it to him,” prosecutors said.

If it all sounds familiar, it is. The only difference is that our duo screwed an entire country. 

Bankman just screwed his clients. They couldn’t bank on him and they got fried. 

ankmanENDS

DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY 

For 52 years after independence, Malaysia wasn’t that well known internationally. 

Then Najib Razak aka Fearless Leader happened. 

You might say Fearless put Malaysia on the world map. For a moment in time, we were the globe’s experts in international money laundering. Even Bernie Madoff bowed his head in tribute when no less an authority than the US’ Department of Justice declared Fearless’ 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) wealth fund the largest “theft” in world history.

Fearless et al helped invent a new word – kleptocracy – while whole forests had to be felled to supply the newsprint required to explain the fraud’s magnitude to the world. Books have been written. And a 1MDB movie has been made by Netflix. 

Hollywood might take a trifle longer as it was, apparently, smitten by the conspicuous extravagance lavished it by Fearless’ portly partner, the champagne-swilling Felonious aka Jho Low. Incidentally, the latter is the protagonist in Netflix’s Man on the Run.

You’d be amazed by how many friends a country’s money can buy. 

It is by way of this circuitous route that I’ve arrived at the reason behind my blog this week. 

I read, with some incredulity, that Malaysia’s overall happiness had apparently plunged since Fearless’ status changed from Former PeeEm to First Felon. 

This is the contention of one Lim Sian See, a social media influencer. Mr Lim said that Malaysia’s ranking in the World Happiness Report saw a continuous drop after Fearless was defeated in the 2018 general election.

Mr Lim said Malaysia’s happiness ranking had been rising throughout Fearless’ tenure. The index was introduced by the United Nations in 2013 while Fearless was leader from 2009 till 2018, at which point  the ”happy” people of Malaysia kicked him out.

It was therefore the same cheery lot that allowed  justice to take its course and, subsequently, consigned him to prison.

Ever the pedant, Mr Lim pointed out that Malaysia was ranked 56th in 2013 in the index and climbed to 35th in 2018, making it the second “happiest” country in Asean after Singapore.

Along those lines, Bhutan is the “happiest” country in the world. It may, of course, be entirely due to its yak butter but there does not seem to be many people queuing up to become its citizens.

Even so, Mr Lim is  convinced by his arguments.

“After Najib fell, Malaysia’s ranking in this index kept falling and was slowly overtaken by other Asean countries,” he said in a doleful Facebook post.

Based on the report, Malaysia dropped from the 55th happiest country in the world in 2023 to the 59th position this year.

In the 2024 World Happiness Report, Singapore ranked 30, the Philippines (53), Vietnam (54), Thailand (58), Indonesia (80), Laos (94), and Cambodia (119).

Even so, I’m amazed that Malaysia, at its 59th spot, continues to be as happy as it is.

After Fearless’ ouster, Malaysians learnt the following facts: 

We are among the most indebted countries in Asean with over RM1.5 trillion in debt. 

The 1MDB fiasco didn’t just cost us US$4.5 billion but US$12.3 billion due to accumulated debt taken on to service 1MDB’s obligations. 

The scale and scope of corruption in Fearless’ administration was frightening.  And trust agencies once deemed sacred – the Pension’s Fund, Felda, the Pilgrims Fund, the Armed Forces Pension Fund – were looted to cover up the fraud.  

Moreover, even after his conviction by three progressively higher Courts, Fearless never apologised to the Malaysian people. Nor has he shown any remorse.  

You’d be depressed, too, if you’d just learnt these facts. Indeed, I’d say most Malaysians are as happy as Felonious being informed the champagne had run out. 

But Felonious had never run out of champagne. He knew that all happiness depended on a leisurely breakfast.

ENDS

THE RELATIVITY OF CRIME

In the film The Godfather, Don Corleone cautions his hot-headed son Sonny against violence, pointing out there are gentler ways: “A lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns.”   

There’s a moral in there somewhere, surely. 

For Marlon Brando, it was a line in yet another movie. But  for an Ex-PM and his substantial sidekick Fatboy, it may have been A Life Lesson to Live By.

Certainly, it’s one school of thought. Now compare and contrast our responses to malfeasance to those of the Japanese of whom the phrase “to a fault” must surely have been invented. 

Plot’s like this. Principal of junior high school in Japan needs pick-up. Been that kind of day. Enters self-service deli, pays for regular coffee, but presses button for “large” cup.   

He’s spotted. Flagrante delicto as it were. Such drama! Caught in Takasago,  seven-hours from Tokyo. Self- righteous, if you know what I mean. No sense of humour. Or mercy. It’s four days before Christmas.  

Rough justice is understating things. By February, he’s done and dusted, dismissed from work, his teaching licence revoked. No kidding – it’s what the  Asahi Shimbun reported. 

He’s also lost his retirement pay, about RM525,000. Nothing to sneeze at in a country with low inflation.

You have to feel for Ex-PRIN. He’s remorseful too, which is more than can be said of EX-PM: he’d  thought the truth was such a rare and precious commodity it had to be doled out sparingly.  

But I digress. Let’s go back to the ex-principal. At an interview, the 59-year old said he had acted impulsively and was “truly sorry.”

Ex-PRIN also admitted he’d done it 4 times before. In total, he’d underpaid Y$490. That’s not quite enough to bankrupt said deli: it’s  around RM15.56.

Did the punishment fit the crime? Even ordinary Japanese wondered. 

Dismissal is the most severe punishment for a public servant there. That’s followed by suspension from work, a pay cut and, least of all, a reprimand. EX-PM had thought a reprimand was fair in his case. He would have even settled for a pay cut but there was just no satisfying some people. 

But in Japan Ex-PRIN had been a repeat  offender. His dismissal, therefore, was deemed “appropriate.” 

Now what would the Japanese have thought of  Ex-PM having his 12 year sentence – for stealing over RM42 million from public coffers – cut in half?

And what would they have thought of senior Malaysian lawyer Zaid Ibrahim’s comment that RM42 million was “small change,” implying, presumably, that EX-PM had been hard done by?

He must think he was because he’s not leaping about with joy as well he might: a rubber tapper was recently sentenced to seven years for stealing RM77. 

Again, the Japanese might have asked: Would said tapper have the same chance of being pardoned on the not unreasonable grounds of, say, extreme poverty?  

OK, maybe not. It was the Malaysian Way: Justice is open to everyone in the same way as the St Regis.

For perspective, here are some facts for the Japanese to ponder. It’s about  1Malaysia Development Bhd, the state fund allegedly looted by EX-PM et al.  The amount stolen from it is estimated at US$4.5 billion while its total debt had reached US$7.8 billion at last count. That’s  RM48.4 billion at current exchange rate levels and rising as we speak. 

It’s certainly not “small change”. 

ENDS

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN 

A man with a briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns. – Writer Mario Puzo

When a man tells you he got rich through hard work, ask him: “Whose?” – US journalist, Don Marquis

There were these reports, the snippets, always hinting of danger, of looming events forebodingly close. 

I mean, having to perpetually skulk about in the shadows can’t bring peace to the fat fraud once known as Felonious or Jho Low. 

Like Charlie Brown, he was beginning to dread the future “one day at a time.” 

And it was all the fault of Bradley Hope, a pestilential American reporter who insisted on keeping the theft alive, who helped to write Billion Dollar Whale, an expose of 1MDB and the staggering theft of almost US$5 billion from Malaysia’s coffers. 

One of the heist’s perpetrators is already behind bars and only Felonious remains, stashed surreptitiously somewhere in China. 

Not for long, according to Mr Hope. It was a grim and stern warning and it required more than a couple of ice-cold goblets of Dom Perignon to soothe the ragged, and twitching, nerves of the palpably, petrified pilferer. 

Indeed, Mr Hope’s report citing, even more alarmingly, “multiple sources” was enough to scare the daylights out of any fugitive worth his salt.  

And Felonious, who’d salted away more billions than Bernie Madoff, who’d out-wolfed every Wolf on Wall Street, knew he was worth at least that. 

Mr Hope claimed Putrajaya and Beijing were close to hammering out a deal to repatriate Felonious, assets and all, back to Malaysia. The deal, apparently, was hatched after Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s first official visit to China, recently. 

Mr Hope, a former Wall Street Journal writer, claimed the deal would include absolving China of its alleged complicity in the 1MDB cover-up and its previous support for disgraced former Premier Najib Razak, now serving time. 

Prison has  circumscribed Jibby’s bragging rights considerably: “Do you know who I used to be?” 

But I digress: we were talking about Felonious weren’t we? 

You could say the dumpy dacoit had a lot on his mind. His problem was compounded by the fact that he continued to remain in the public eye and for all the wrong reasons. This embarrassed the Chinese even more because of Beijing’s much ballyhooed “aversion” to corruption.

I mean, you can’t successfully project a “beacon of rectitude” kind of image if you continue to shelter the world’s most wanted thief, can you?  

Felonious has steadfastly denied complicity in the heist. But the fact that many assets in his name – from a corporate jet and a superyacht to prime real estate in New York and Los Angeles – have been  seized without any resistance from him seems like tacit acknowledgement in no small degree. You don’t have to be Colombo to know that. 

And it goes on. Last month, Kuwait sentenced him to 10 years’ imprisonment after convicting him in absentia with two others of embezzling 1MDB funds.

And now we learn that the chubby charlatan was lavish with Malaysian taxpayer monies to win  friends and subvert governments.

A Washington court was told yesterday that Pras Michel, a rap artiste and influencer, was paid US$100 million by Felonious to:  

  • Stop US Department of Justice probes into him 
  • Facilitate the extradition of a Chinese dissident in the US back to Beijing, and
  • Allow Felonious a photo opportunity with Barack Obama. 

The hits just kept on coming and it was getting tedious. Felonious sighed and poured himself more champagne. You know what they say, he thought: a fool and his money…

…are soon partying. 

ENDS

THE SLINGS OF OUTRAGEOUS FORTUNE

Sam: How’s life treating you, Norm?

Norm: Like it caught me sleeping with its wife

 – TV sitcom, Cheers

Malaysia’s former premier Najib “Fearless Leader” Razak was a conservative, which is English for a person who believes he deserves everything he’s stolen.

In that sense, he was an uncommon politician: he got caught. Which is why he now languishes in Kajang Prison where he’s only free to contemplate his navel and think up new and inventive ways to lose friends and irritate judges.

That was Malaysia for you. Justice was open to everyone in the same way as the Shangri-La. Fearless knew the feeling: he’d just received his lawyer’s bill. 

It was ironic in many ways. He used to be so busy that he hardly had time for himself. Now he was reduced to this: except for occasional visits to court, he was about as busy as a pick-pocket in a nudist colony.

To say it was depressing is to understate it to the 10th power. I’ve been to Kajang Prison. In the late 1990s, my former colleague, Murray Hiebert, was given a three month sentence – he served two – for “media contempt” and I used to visit him regularly. I found it a difficult place to be cheerful in: you had to talk to the prisoner through glass and mesh, and the place smelt of sweat and despair. 

Now Fearless was taking his case to the United Nations where there were only 10 million petitions before him. His lawyers had told him that the odds were stacked against him. What they didn’t tell him were his actual chances. They were threefold: zero, zip and zilch. 

Alas, poor Fearless. Over in China, his once-friend and helpmate in crime, Low Teck “Felonious” Jho watched sadly. Fearless found him simpatico the first time they’d met. He especially liked the way his mind worked and his interest got piqued after he discovered that Felonious’ thesis in Wharton had been on Bernie Madoff and the near-perfect crime.

Felonious thought that a person who wielded absolute power could do well-nigh anything he wanted. 

To prove his point, he demonstrated that, on any given day, Fearless could have been convicted of perjury, obstruction of justice and making false statements, or what the Prime Minister’s Department called a “press conference.”   

It was the Eureka moment for Fearless, a multi-billion epiphany that would lead to the almost-perfect crime had it not been for one tiny miscalculation: losing the general election. 

But Felonious hadn’t miscalculated. He made sure he wasn’t in Malaysia when the time rolled around for a general election – both in 2013 and 2018.

It can’t have given Fearless much comfort. 

Or confidence. 

It explained  the grim relish with which  Fearless read the paper on Monday. It reported that Felonious’ days as a protected  “intelligence asset” in China could be coming to an end. 

The source of the story was Bradley Hope, the journalist behind Billion Dollar Whale, the story of the looting of Malaysia by Messrs Fearless and Felonious. The leviathan referred to in the book’s title was the corpulent crook in China.

Hope revealed that Fatso’s chief protector in China had been convicted of, what else, corruption and so Felonious’ luck might be running out. 

The tubby thief was philosophical about it. Que sera sera, he thought cheerfully.

He’d packed more living in the last 14 years than many do in a lifetime.

ENDS

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Behind every great fortune is a crime – French novelist Honoré de Balzac

Jho Low, the plump pirate better known in select criminal circles as Felonious, was entertained by the joke and, as always, delighted in his friend’s masterly grasp of understatement. 

He’d just read that Fearless Leader, once a Malaysian Premier, had revealed to the Kuala Lumpur High Court that he had “only RM4.5 million in assets.” 

Politicians from every component party of the National Front government were moved. They knew the real root of all evil was a lack of money. 

But most people weren’t politicians, they were more cynical and distrustful and generally seemed unbelieving.  Fearless felt injured. “You think you’ve got problems?” snarled Malaysia’s once-most-powerful man. “What about me?”

It was a good, if pointless, question. Ever since 2014 amid the gradual revelations, the whispered rumours, and the increasing awareness of the gravity of the 1MDB problem, Fearless had had to deny, evade, duck, prevaricate, obfuscate or simply lie to Parliament and the Malaysian people about the matter.  

That takes a lot of nerve, an epidermis of no mean thickness and, surely, much heart-hammering amid the blood pressure of a giraffe. And, lest we forget, he had to return home to daily karaoke (Girls just wanna have funds) and occasional counsel (Can I advise you something?).

The extent of Fearless’ pre-emptive efforts to distance himself from 1MDB are slowly emerging. On Thursday, an anti-corruption agency officer testified that Fearless amended a 2016 audit report on 1MDB that was to be presented to Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee “to shield himself from legal consequences.”  

And what do you think he felt every time he attended an international meeting after 2016, after the US’ Department of Justice had made sure the 1MDB scandal had made the world’s headliners, when the magnitude of the fiasco was becoming clear?  

Are they giving me the cold shoulder and ignoring me, or am I imagining it? 

Oh My God, is that a knowing look in Lee’s eyes? 

It must have been a time to try anyone’s soul and Felonious sympathised because he knew the extent of the heist. Neither did he feel any remorse about the matter. In fact, he’d recently offered RM1.5 billion to Putrajaya to forget the whole thing but the ingrates had declined.

As for those who accused him of burdening future generations with debt, he charitably forgave them as they did not know it was condoned. Didn’t the Bible say, “Blessed are the children for they will inherit the national debt?”

Felonious considered himself a principled man because, principally, there were only two rules governing crime and Rule 1 was unambiguous: never get caught. 

The second, which he was particularly proud of, simply referred the seeker of knowledge to Rule 1.  

Fearless considered his friend’s position neither here nor there and thought it cold comfort. Meanwhile, his defence team anguished over his RM4.5 million “revelation” because they’d been calculating their bill. 

And so it goes. And, in this instance, only the Bamboo River remains.

Still, silent, waiting.

ENDS

A SNOWFLAKE’S CHANCE IN HELL 

You only lie to two people in your life, your girlfriend and the police – Jack Nicholson in Chinatown 

The Economist doesn’t mince its words. 

In an op-ed piece headlined “The toxicity of Boris Johnson,” it talked of a deadly toxin menacing “ministers and their party” and “chairing their meetings.” Apparently, Bojo was not only a toxin but a “serial liar,”  

No one should be surprised. As a rule, aren’t all politicians less than sparing with the truth? Donald Trump played so fast and loose with the truth that he even attempted the Big Lie: in the face of massive evidence to the contrary, he claimed that he’d won the 2020 Presidential elections. He still does.

And there are some segments of American society that believe him!

“You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free,” goes a famous Biblical saying. Not in Malaysia though. Instead, the truth made Fatboy flee, and Fearless Leader want to. This was, of course, after the results of Malaysia’s 2018 general election made it plain that their jig was up.  

Now Fearless is behaving as if Grand National Theft has been legalised, while the cheerfully flabby Felonious is apparently, attempting to “settle” with the Malaysian government, if recent news on an online news portal is to be believed.  

“The only statistics you can trust are those you falsified yourself,” observed Winston Churchill. Dr Mahathir was clearly a student of Churchill. Consider how he lauded the “success” of his heavy industrial projects of steel (Perwaja) and autos (Proton). 

The amount of money both projects cost the taxpayer is unclear, but they must surely run into the tens of billions. 

Dr M professed distaste for Anwar Ibrahim’s “moral misconduct” and it was the stated reason for sacking him as deputy premier in 1998. 

But the same distaste wasn’t evident a couple of years ago when Azmin Ali, Dr M’s blue-eyed boy then, was caught in a similar circumstance. 

Different strokes for different folks, it seems, is an acceptable hypocrisy in politics.

Fearless himself lied through his teeth between 2014 and 2018 every time he was questioned over 1MDB in Parliament. 

Everything was hunky dory with the agency, he assured Parliament. And no, Felonious had nothing whatsoever to do with the agency, he had no role in the company and that was the absolute truth, so help him God.  

His story changed after he was charged in court in 2018. Then, everything was the fault of Felonious. Or the directors. Or Goldman Sachs. Or the Arabs.

But not him. Never him. How could it be him? He’d been too busy being PM. 

He continues the fiction now. Unashamedly, would be the word to describe how he carries it off. Shameless, unblushing, unembarrassed, and brazen are others. 

Actually, Fearless comes across as the quintessential Umno politician.  Having deprived the Malaysian Treasury of more than the monies awarded to the heirs of Sultan of Sulu (RM69 billion), he continues to swagger about the Malaysian political stage as if he were a potential premier.

He’s got a snowflake’s chance in hell. 

Right?

ENDS

WHO EVER SAID PRIDE GOES BEFORE A FALL SHOULD HAVE HIS HEAD EXAMINED. 

If it’s true that our species is alone in the universe,  then I’d have to say the universe aimed rather low and settled for very little – Comedian George Carlin

Just when you think things could not get more absurd in this fantastic country of ours, it does. 

Hours after a march for “judicial independence” got thwarted by the police, an Umno Supreme Councillor wondered if the same lawyers would march to demand “justice for Najib.” 

Najib is the nation’s First Felon, a former premier who has been convicted by two concurrent courts of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering in relation to 42  million ringgit of money that belonged to the government. He only awaits one more appeal and if that fails, he has to serve time.

But these first charges are chicken feed, the lull before the storm. He is also accused of the largest theft in human history and awaits two more trials, one of which involves the theft of billions from lMDB, a government agency he created ostensibly to help develop Malaysia.  

In one sense, Dr Puad Zakashi, the Umno personage calling for justice for Najib is right. We also think that justice should be  expedited for the former premier. 

Instead, here we have the spectacle of the courts, and well-nigh everybody else, giving him the maximum leeway, stretching the adage of “presumed innocent until proven guilty” to its breaking point. 

In countries like Japan, a nation which highly values  honour, bail isn’t a right but a privilege. 

And yet, in this country, Anwar Ibrahim, a former deputy premier, was denied bail for six years for a crime that isn’t even criminal in developed countries. 

But consider the following where Najib is concerned: having been convicted by two concurrent courts, he still enjoys police protection, outriders and all the trappings of power; he is allowed to lead political campaigns and isn’t shy about splashing his wealth around; he is encouraged  to address political gatherings like the recent National Front convention where he declared, to rousing  applause, “I’m not a thief, I was only accused of laundering funds that I did not employ.”

It’s not even a good try. 

This is the legal definition of criminal breach of trust, for which he was found  guilty by two courts. 

“Whoever, being in any manner entrusted with property, or with any dominion over property, either solely or jointly with any other person, dishonestly misappropriates, or converts to his own use, that property, or dishonestly uses or disposes of that property in violation of any direction of law prescribing the mode in …”

How much clearer does he want it to get?

There is more. 

He gets invited to the palace for dinner with our King and Queen. 

Everywhere he goes, he is lauded as “our boss who need not feel any shame.”

When he tweets that he loves trains, MRT Corp immediately invites him and his family on the maiden journey of its  Putrajaya line.

What gives? Are these the values we are asked to pass on to our children? 

And what’s with the silence from the religious right, the same ones who see red over Bon Odori, who wax  apoplectic  over the attire of our airline stewardesses? 

What, no comment on Bossku? 

By all means, let’s march to demand justice for Malaysians.

Now.

ENDS 

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING CONNECTED

The very rich have no need of character – Hebrew proverb

Jho “Felonious” Low thought character was overrated anyway so he concentrated on keeping the police in Macao happy so everybody there could continue to live happily ever after.

His wife, the low-profile, Mrs Felonious didn’t want too much out of life either. All she’d wanted was a husband who was kind and understanding which she didn’t think was asking too much of a billionaire.

Felonious thought The Way Forward lay in living as quietly and as low-profile as possible which is Evading Capture 101 for all criminal masterminds on the run.

That was why he was now scanning the papers with a furrowed brow. Even his cigar remained in hand, unlit.

The object of the stout scalawag’s consternation was a report that the Malaysian King had invited Fearless Leader, a former co-worker and helpmate of Felonious, to break the Ramadan fast at the Palace. It seemed as appropriate as inviting Tim Leisner to address the World Economic Forum.

Even so, there they all were, cheerfully breaking the fast together. The pictures have since been posted on the Net. And there has been no lack of comment!

Fearless seems oblivious to public perception which is strange and uncharacteristic of the veteran politician that he obviously is. Or perhaps he’s cynical enough to understand the truth behind the Phyllis Diller quip: “Those who have money to burn are often surrounded by people with matches.”

But there is another quote that seems more germane to this issue: “The poor and ignorant will continue to lie and steal so long as the rich and educated show them how.” Alas, I can’t remember its author, but it does seem to fit.

Fearless was found guilty by two consecutive courts of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering, and faces a 12-year sentence pending a final appeal to the Federal Court. Meanwhile, he faces other, equally daunting, charges including one for evading taxes of over RM1 billion. We should also keep in mind the media’s description of the fraud at 1MDB as the “greatest theft in human history.”

But he remains free on bail, enjoys all the perks of an ex-premier including outriders, and traipses all over the country, campaigning, speaking, and having dinners. This is in stark contrast to the treatment meted out to former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim: he was denied bail at the outset for a crime many other countries do not even recognise.

Meanwhile, the Fearless precedent is already taking root. A Kelantan farmer facing jail time for committing grievous bodily harm was given bail after he cited Fearless’ precedent of remaining free despite convictions by two courts.

Viewed in its broader context, the Dinner at the Palace is perplexing to say the least. The signal it sends out is downright appalling as it seems to suggest that criminality can be condoned in certain circumstance.

Felonious sat up with a jerk as he pondered these significant portents. There was a moral to this story somewhere and he thought he knew the answer.

Life was just a breathing spell, and it was better to live rich than die rich.

ENDS

CRIME DOES NOT PAY, NOR SHOULD IT SEEM TO

In three words I can summarise everything I’ve learnt about life – it goes on. –Poet Robert Frost.

Najib Razak would, no doubt, agree.

Malaysia’s First Felon, affectionately known in high society criminal circlers as Fearless Leader, has been fearlessly dishing out advice left, right and centre – and people are taking heed, it seems.

Indeed, he’s morphed into a latter-day Svengali to the United Malays National Organisation, the party he once headed. Fearless is, to be sure, the Boss-Who-Needn’t-Feel-Any-Shame-at-All.

And he doesn’t, not a jot.

Even so, the shameless ex-boss continues to be deferred to as a leader. Nowhere was this more evident than in a recent video showing the party faithful celebrating its win in the recent Johor state election: it showed party president Zahid Hamidi elbowing Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob aside to bring Fearless up-front, to the head of the throng.

It’s no wonder Ismail’s been looking especially doleful of late.

As I write this, I read, with astonishment, that Fearless just concluded a keynote address to the Penang International Business and Investment Summit.

The report went on to say that during his “two-day trip” to Penang, Fearless was expected “to meet the Chinese community” and “the state Umno liaison committee.”

Ye Gods! Who invites a person found guilty of defrauding his country to launch an “international business and investment” seminar?

That’s like inviting Bernie Madoff to launch a Rotary business event in, say, Seremban. Let’s face it, on the Jho Low Scale of Mammoth Larceny, Madoff is a minnow to Fearless’ whale.

Meanwhile, why is Fearless being lauded about, and bowed and scraped to, as if he were leading his party into the next general election?

Do they know something we don’t?

The absurdity of it all is made preposterous by the testimony coming out of a Brooklyn courtroom. It stars Felonious, Fearless’ less-than-trusty sidekick and co-stars greedy bankers and everyone else who fed at the 1MDB trough. Their numbers, to quote the Bible, are “legion.”

By all accounts, Felonious was the mastermind and the biggest thief of the lot. But he could not have pulled it off without help from the top.

How did Fatboy convince everybody, even people already rich as Croesus, to participate in a grand plan to loot an entire country? The US trial in Brooklyn was told that the rotund robber siphoned US$4.5 billion (RM18.9 billion) of 1MDB’s money into his own account.

Fearless has been convicted of only one crime that involved a sum of RM42 million which is peanuts in terms of Felonious’ colossal theft. But it sets the stage. His big trials are ongoing and he has a lot to answer for.

Which is why it is sheer lunacy to continue to fete Fearless, to extol him and assure him he needn’t feel shame. To do so would be to exonerate him. Even worse, it’s a tacit nod towards corruption, even its encouragement, so long as the loot is shared.

1MDB was and remains the largest theft in the history of white-collar crime. That is an absolute fact and no amount of dissembling, artifice, advice or keynote speeches at investment seminars can diminish its magnitude.

The Appeals Court described him as “a national embarrassment.”

There is also that.

ENDS