Rafidah’s RM95 billion AP scandal is bigger than 1MDB
Even back then in 2005 the amount was already huge, estimated at more than RM60 billion — or more than RM2.5 billion a year for about 30 years. Since then it is estimated to have reached RM95 billion. And Rafidah Aziz is at the centre of this scandal because it is said the AP holders are her proxies-cum-trustees and that she was even openly having an affair with one of the AP holders.
THE CORRIDORS OF POWER
Raja Petra Kamarudin
They say 1MDB is a RM42 billion scandal (Lim Guan Eng says it is RM50 billion). Well, Rafidah Aziz’s AP scandal is estimated to be at least RM95 billion. And this scandal, initially only whispered in the corridors of power, became public knowledge in 2005 when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad ordered the government to expose the scandal.
Even back then in 2005 the amount was already huge, estimated at more than RM60 billion — or more than RM2.5 billion a year for about 30 years. Since then it is estimated to have reached RM95 billion. And Rafidah Aziz is at the centre of this scandal because it is said the AP holders are her proxies-cum-trustees and that she was even openly having an affair with one of the AP holders.
Rafidah Aziz, the latest ex-Umno billionaire to join PPBM, cost Malaysian car buyers RM95 billion
Anyway, Rafidah is now being welcomed as a new member of PPBM and she wants it to be known she is not like all those other stupid ex-Umno people who have joined or are joining PPBM. In other words, all those other ex-Umno people who joined or are joining PPBM merely want to escape arrest on charges of corruption while Rafidah does not face any risk of arrest on corruption charges even if she does not join PPBM.
In short, she is not joining PPBM under duress like all those other ex-Umno people. And that means, according to her, she is not stupid like all those other ex-Umno people.
Okay, the more important question is, the AP scandal comes to RM95 billion. But where did the money come from? In the 1MDB issue, the money came from the banks. The RM95 billion AP money, however, came from Malaysian car buyers. Malaysian car buyers have to pay higher prices for their cars so that the cost of these APs can be covered.
The ‘good thing’ about the AP scandal is the government did not lose any money because car buyers, and not the Malaysian government, are paying this RM95 billion. So, the taxpayers are not being robbed of any money. Those being robbed are the car buyers, who may or may not also be taxpayers.
In that sense it is good. Rich Malaysians, in particular Chinese, who can afford to buy imported cars, pay for this RM95 billion, while poor Malaysians, such as Bumiputeras, who cannot afford to buy imported cars and ride around on motorcycles, do not pay anything.
Welcome to PPBM, Rafidah, the latest ex-Umno tycoon to join the party. What was that about PPBM is a party of billionaires that Zaid Ibrahim said yesterday?
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AP issue continues to haunt Rafidah
(The Star, 20 November 2008) – The issue of unfair allocation of approved permits (APs) for imported cars continued to haunt former International Trade and Industry Minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz when the matter came up again during the debate on the Budget.
Mohamed Azmin Ali (PKR – Gombak) alleged that APs were given to Rafidah’s relatives after a committee chaired by the then Miti secretary-general Tan Sri Sidek Hassan decided not to stop awarding franchise APs in 2005.
He said franchise APs of Volkswagen were given to Autostadt Sdn Bhd owned by Zulkifli Ishak – whose wife Annie Tajol Arus, is Rafidah’s niece – without the approval of the said committee.
“Until now the company has no showroom but has only dealers to sell the cars,” he said, adding that another company Aminrah Ventures Sdn Bhd, which also does not have a showroom, was given 150 APs last year while 225 APs approved this year were given to other relatives of Rafidah.
Azmin Ali revealed in 2008 that the AP business is a RM2.5 billion scandal a year
Earlier, Azmin questioned why 45,682 APs were given to 77 companies between 2004 and 2006, adding that Naza Consortium, which had a 8,481 APs, was able to rake in RM424mil.
“My question is why is Naza allotted so many APs and why APs were given to only 77 companies,” he said, calling it unfair and not transparent.
In reply to this, Miti Deputy Minister Datuk Jacob Dungau Sagan said an audit was being conducted on the APs issued to Naza and the allocation of APs in general would also be reviewed.
To a statement by Lim Kit Siang (DAP – Ipoh Timur) that more APs were issued as the Umno election was around the corner, Jacob denied it, stating that the number of APs issued over the years had reduced.
In 2005 the number of APs issued were 70,381 while 60,460 were issued in 2006, he said, adding that 50,304 were issued last year while this year 44,168 have been issued.
Datuk Ibrahim Ali (Independent – Pasir Mas) also asked the ministry to reduce the number of APs to only 5% of the market demand.
“Japan and South Korea do not allow imported cars at all,” he said.
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Government releases list of Approved Permit holders
(The Star, 19 July 2005) – They were said to have had the most number of Approved Permits to import cars. It is now confirmed that Tan Sri Nasimuddin SM Amin, Datuk Syed Azman Syed Ibrahim, Datuk Mohd Haniff Abdul Aziz and Datuk Azzuddin Ahmad are the AP kings.
According to the list of AP recipients released by the Government yesterday, the four – all involved in selling imported cars – were given more than 28,000 of the 67,158 APs allocated thus far this year.
Each AP can be sold for between RM20,000 and RM30,000.
The list, which is expected to be hotly debated at the 51st Umno General Assembly beginning Thursday, was released by the Prime Minister’s office amid the controversy surrounding the issuance of APs.
Of the number, Nasimuddin, managing director of the Naza Motor Group, held 12,524 APs mainly under Naza Kia Sdn Bhd.
For Nasimuddin, five of his six companies which received APs had other shareholders. His brother, Datuk SM Shalahuddin, was listed as a shareholder in five while in one company, Naza-Brabus Sdn Bhd, one Datin Zaleha Ismail is listed as the third shareholder.
Syed Azman, Mohd Haniff and Azzuddin received a total of 15,759 APs under several companies.
The list also indicated the year from which the recipients had been getting APs, but did not state the total received over the years.
Mahathir shocked the nation in 2005 by asking the government to reveal a closely guarded-secret that the APs are costing Malaysian car buyers RM2.5 billion a year for 30 years
The announcement came as a surprise as it was the first time that the names of AP recipients had been made public. Government leaders had earlier said that the policy of not revealing the names would remain.
The AP issue made newspaper headlines when former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said that the issuance of large numbers of these permits had led to unfair competition against national car Proton.
Many importers, said Dr Mahathir, were also under-declaring the prices of cars.
He had questioned how 20 companies were given the bulk of more than 50,000 APs when the Government’s objective was to assist as many bumiputra businessmen as possible by spreading out the issuance of such permits.
The statement from the Prime Minister’s office accompanying the list said there were two types of APs – open APs and franchise APs.
Under the open APs, the issuance of which was terminated in 1988, permit holders were allowed to import new and used cars from any source.
Franchise APs are issued to companies which have exclusive agency agreements with foreign car manufacturers.
Rafidah was having an affair with one of these four
The AP, issued by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry, was introduced in 1970 with the objective of providing opportunities for bumiputra entrepreneurs in the motor vehicle sector.
Nasimuddin, who obtained his first AP in 1988, imports Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Ferrari, Mazda, Maserati, Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Brabus cars.
Syed Azman and Mohd Haniff, both former ministry officers, emerged on the AP scene in 2002.
Under two companies, Atlantic Star Auto Sdn Bhd and Auto Pacific Star Sdn Bhd, the former ministry officers obtained a further 5,669 APs to import Ford and Chevrolet cars. They also received APs to import Audi cars under Territorial Star Sdn Bhd.
Other major recipients included:
HYUMAL Motor Sdn Bhd – owned by Berjaya Group Bhd, Sime Darby Bhd and Tan Sri Vincent Tan – to import Hyundai cars (18,573 APs);
CARTRADE Sdn Bhd, of which Datuk Ilyas Mohamed and Zahran Ahmad are the shareholders, to bring in BMW and MINI cars (11,237);
AMAZING Tempo Sdn Bhd, of which Tunku Datuk Zainol Tengku Izham and Ramzia Arshad are shareholders, to import Wald cars from Japan (12,025); and
ALADO Bumi Automobile Sdn Bhd – of which Datuk Ayob Saad, Tan Sri Cam Soh Thiam Hong and Soh Ah Gong – are shareholders to import Chery vehicles from China (12,496).
