ROSMAH MANSOR....grand gesture at whose expense?

Rosmah again: BMF tells Monaco to return 'tainted' 100,000 euros donation

Written by  Melissa Lee, Malaysia Chronicle

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Rosmah Mansor may pride herself on her charitable endeavors but Swiss NGO, the Bruno Manser Fund, is not at all impressed It has demanded that Monaco's Prince Albert II return her 100,000 euro donation on the grounds that the money came from tainted sources.

On the Malaysian end, the complaint by the BMF sparked the question of why the wife of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was handing out such a donation and on whose behalf was she presenting the cheque.

"Rosmah must always remember she represents Malaysia as the PM's wife. She should not be blinded by glory and rush for the limelight. Not all that glitters is gold, what if the money came from vice or gambling syndicates or from the Mafia, how can she simply lend her name to it without checking thoroughly," PKR Women's chief Zuraida Kamaruddin told Malaysia Chronicle.

She urged the controversial and flamboyant 60-year old Rosmah to issue a clarification and clear the good name of the nation.

Money laundering centre

According to BMF, which is an anti-illegal logging NGO known also for its campaign against Taib Mahmud, believes that the money came from the corruption-embattled Sarawak chief minister's illegal activities.

It also believes that Monaco manages huge amounts of Taib's wealth. Monaco is the world's second smallest sovereign country after Vatican City and a hot favourite with the world's richest and most powerfu. It is a tax haven and a key centre for international money-laundering rackets.

“The origin of the 100,000 euro (RM437,500) is very unclear, and the fund should thus not have been accepted by Prince Albert's foundation. We suggest that Albert return the money to the Penan, Malaysia's most marginalised people, in order to support their struggle to defend their rainforests against logging,” said BMF in a press statement.

Rosmah had presented the cheque to Albert at a flashy ceremony also attended by Najib in August last year. The Islamic Fashion Festival has been severely panned by Muslim conservatives in Malaysia for carrying designs that they claim were un-Islamic.

The cheque was made to the Prince Albert Foundation for the protection of "the environment and to encourage sustainable development”. Taib has previously denied the money came from him, but was sourced from the fashion show and “through sponsors in support of the promotion of Sarawak tourism”.

The ways of the rich and the famous

BMF also slammed the Monaco Ruler, who prides himself as a 'green' advocate for mixing with the likes of Taib, who has been accused of exploitiing indigenous tribes and stripping vast hectares of Sarawak's virgin forests to enrich himself and his family.

“Why is Albert, who is fond of his green image, associating himself with one of the world's worst environmental criminals?” they asked.

The BMF statement also claimed that Albert visited Sarawak with one of Monaco's top private bankers and London property tycoon Achilleas Kallakis in 2008. Kallakis, a former member of the Prince Albert II Foundation, has been charged with fraud involving £61 million in one of UK's most sensational property embezzlement cases ever.

Taib too is being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission but few hold out any hope that any serious charges will be levied against the powerful politician due to his ties to the federal government leaders.

And of course, his immense wealth and ability to treat whomever he wishes to the most explensive and flashiest holidays, whenever and wherever they wished.

- Malaysia Chronicle