SR allegations against Rosmah malicious: Lawyer

(Bernama) – The law firm of Messrs Noorhajran Mohd Noor issued a press statement yesterday on behalf of the Prime Minister’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor pertaining to a Sarawak Report article on July 9 claiming that RM2 million was deposited into a bank account belonging to her.

The report stated this was in relation and according to documentation related to 1MDB enquiries between 10th February and 23rd April 2015. It further confirmed that this particular bank account has now been placed under investigation related to enquries about the misappropriation of money linked to 1MDB.

The law firm stated that Rosmah had authorised it to issue a press release to read as follows:-

1. The above inferences made by Sarawak Report against my client is serious, malicious, baseless and unsubstantiated.

2. The Bank account referred to in the above report is a personal account of my client. It was opened in 1984 whilst my client was in employment with Island & Peninsular Sdn Bhd (Now known as I&P Group Sdn Bhd) for convenience.

At the material time the location of the said Company and Perwira Habib Bank Bhd (formerly the name used by Affin Bank Berhad) was situated within the same building of Wisma Equatorial (as it was then) at Jalan Sultan Ismail, KL.

3. Pursuant to the Financial Services Act 2013 (Act 758) on Regulatory Objectives And Powers & Functions of Bank, the principal regulatory objective is to promote financial stability. In pursuing this objective Bank shall foster fair, responsible and professional business conduct and strive to protect the rights and interests of consumers of financiers services. Protection on information and secrecy and restrictions on inquiring specifically into affairs of particular customer are also provided for under the same Act.

4. In an apparent breach of the Bank’s function and in view of my client’s profile on the national and international level. It is hoped Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) to immediately and/or within 72 hours conduct a probe and issue its findings into the offensive unauthorised disclosure on the part of the said Bank.

5. It is my client’s view that failure by BNM to immediately conduct the said probe will erode the trust of investors and consumers of financial institutions. It will have negative perceptions on the regulations of financial institutions, payment systems, other relevant entities (may include insurances), money markets and foreign exchange markets to promote stability and for related consequential or incidental matters. The privacy and secrecy restrictions must be strictly adhered, to retain the integrity, security, respect and confidence of the Malaysian banking & financial systems and processes. Failure to curb the current negative trends may eventually spread to other related entities.

6. The Sarawak Report in the inferences made against my client has conducted itself in the most irresponsible and blatant misrepresentation of its statements with malicious intent to discredit and defame, to reduce the credibility and integrity of my client being the wife of the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

7. In view of the serious inferences by Sarawak Report made against Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is urged to consider and deemed appropriate should the content be proven to be offensive and in breach of Malaysian Laws, take the necessary action pursuant to the MCMC Act 1998 (Act 588).

8. My client have not committed any criminal offence or any misappropriation of funds and strongly denies any links to the funds being from 1MDB. The report is deemed to be indecent, menacing, false and is intended to annoy or harass my client.

9. Clare Rewcastle Brown is publicly known to be the editor-in-chief of Sarawak Report. By issuing improper and incorrect reporting against my client and in the spirit of responsible journalism must stand and justify by the story it reports.

10. My client appeals for responsible reporting of any facts, to have ethical and moral obligations of fairness and accuracy.