Million Dollar Bribes Disguised As ‘Donations’ – UMNO’s Ever Changing Stories!
Thanks for the RM40 million my lad. Of course, nothing compared to the huge timber concessions and barging monopolies which I have offered your family. I hope you are still making regular payments to my sons and keeping up the rental on that house in Perth that I asked you to organise? Remember these are all perfectly proper political donations and I am no longer denying we do business!
SARAWAK REPORT
Where was Michael Chia on 14th August 2008 ?
UMNO have created so many contradictions with their various excuses that they must now produce some evidence.
The story started back on that date when it was reported that timber trader Michael Chia had been arrested with RM40million in his suitcase, on his way to Sabah from Hong Kong.
It created a news storm and a great number of denials. Chia denied he had been arrested or that the money was to do with him and Musa Aman denied he had anything to do with Michael Chia.
But now, suddenly, after four years of these denials, UMNO’s Mr Nazri has capitulated and admitted that after all the money was being sent by Chia to Musa. However not in a personal capacity but as a “perfectly proper” political ‘donation’.
Come on! Why didn’t Musa, Mr Nazri and BN/UMNO just say so in the first place?
Instead of playing President Clinton and saying as recently as April this year:
“I have had no business dealings whatsoever with an individual named Michael Chia”[Statement by Musa Aman 12/4/12]
Why didn’t Musa just say:
“Sure, I know Michael. He regularly gets timber licences from Yayasan Sabah, of which I am Chairman. Michael totally openly and appropriately wired RM40million over to my party, of which I am Chairman, back in 2008. We really appreciated his above board donation. Feel free to look at our accounts?”[Musa Aman did NOT say this]
Changing stories
Consider all the missed opportunities Musa/UMNO have had to clarify the situation. The arrest was first reported Way back in 2008. This was how the UMNO supporting Star Newspaper put it at the time:
