What We Know (And What We Don't) About The 'Missing' RM12 Million Ransom Money
We are listing down all the facts and claims surrounding the abduction and release of the four Sarawakians and how it was done in a case that is fast becoming a scandal.
By Sadho Ram — 19 Jun 2016, 02:44 PM
WHAT WE KNOW
1. On 1 April 2016, Abu Sayyaf, the Philippine-based Islamist militant group, abducted four Malaysians – Wong Teck Kangsar, 31, Teck Chii, 29, Jung Hien and sailor Wong Hung Sin, 34 – from a tugboat off the coast of Pulau Ligitan, Sabah.
2. Fast-forward to 8 June, seven armed men took the four of them to a boat, travelling to Sabah before reaching a jetty in Sandakan when they were told that they are being freed now. After which the armed men left Sabah waters.
3. On 15 June, while speaking to The Star, Lau Cheng Kiong, the uncle of Johnny Lau Jung Hien, claimed that they had raised RM12 million donation money and that it was handed over to the Special Branch in Sandakan, Sabah, on 24 May for ransom.
4. Of the RM12 million ransom money, Lau said, RM9 million came from donations by individuals from Papua New Guinea, Taiwan, China, Solomon Island and Malaysia. RM2 million came from the shipping company for whom the four kidnapped men worked for, and RM1 million was raised from the mortgage on two family houses in Pulau Li Hua.
"We handed the amount which were in 12 Hong Leong Bank cheques of RM1 million each which were kept in a bag to the Special Branch in Sandakan between 4pm and 6pm on 24 May. All the money raised had been handed to them and we did not keep a single sen," the uncle told The Star.
However, according to The Star, Bukit Aman's Special Branch Director Comm Mohamad Fuzi Harun said he had no comments on the claims made by the families.
5. Prior to the families claiming they handed over the RM12 million to the Special Branch, IGP Khalid Abu Bakar, during a press conference on 9 June, revealed that the four men were, in fact, freed through negotiations between the kidnappers and a joint Malaysia-Philippines team and that "no ransom" was paid by the police.
"We do not pay ransom. We worked with certain parties to ensure they are released. What is most important is the victims are safe. On how we do it, leave it to us and have faith in us." the IGP was quoted as saying by The Sun Daily.
The Sun Daily noted that while the IGP denied a ransom was paid, the Abu Sayyaf militants are not known to free the people they kidnap before receiving a huge ransom.
6. Then on 16 June, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, who is also the Minister of Home Affairs in charge of the police force, disclosed that while no ransom was paid, the RM12 million was given to an Islamic body in the Philippines.
7. The DPM, while insisting that the government does not recognise kidnap-for-ransom activities and would not use funds for such purposes, reportedly said, “The government had decided that no ransom would be paid, and the police adhered to that."
"The families handed the sum (RM12 million) to the Special Branch of the police and I can confirm that it was channelled not as ransom, but to a body in the Philippines which assists in an Islamic struggle. The body has no links to terrorists or criminals," the DPM was quoted as saying.
Zahid, however, refused to reveal the names of the Filipino agencies that received the money, claiming it was a police matter. Although, he said that he would direct the Royal Malaysia Police to issue a statement to inform the public about the move. Additionally, the Deputy PM insisted that the RM12 million was "definitely not" kept by the police.
8. Following which, on 17 June, IGP Khalid Abu Bakar denied that the Special Branch had received the RM12 million money, directly contradicting the Deputy PM's previous claims. Instead, the IGP claimed that the money was handed directly to an unknown "third party" that helped negotiate the release of the hostages.
"I don't know. I do not want to know," the IGP added when asked if the PDRM knew as to whom did the money go to
Khalid claimed that the police had only escorted the family to Zamboanga City to meet the so-called "third party" upon the request of the family members of the abducted after they were approached by various welfare and Islamic NGOs which offered them help.
"That is what the DPM meant when he said the money was given to some welfare groups because these are the third party that made the offer to help secure their release," Khalid was quoted as saying by The Malay Mail Online.
He insisted that the police only concurred with the request for assistance as "security provider" due to concerns over the desperateness of the family members. While adding that the police officers were told to "not interfere with the negotiations, he rubbished "all the assumptions and allegation that we did pay the ransom" as "not true".
He claimed that he has no idea about the money or where it was channelled to.
"I think the family knows. Where the money went to, who received the money the family knows," IGP Khalid was quoted as saying by The Malay Mail Online.
WHAT WE DON'T KNOW
1. Who is telling the truth as none of the three parties directly involved — the family members, the PDRM, and Putrajaya — have actually shown or made public any actual paper proof behind their claims regarding the RM12 million money.
2. Where or to whom the money went to as the PDRM claims that no ransom was paid to the militants and the DPM has refused to reveal the name of the Islamic agencies he claims the money was channeled to in the Philippines.
3. The money raised was through public donation and selling of assets by the family members, so by which logic or justification did the DPM, and the PDRM under his control, made the decision to give it away as a donation to Islamic agencies?
4. Why is there no coordination on such a serious matter between two high-ranking men — Deputy PM Zahid Ahmad Hamidi and IGP Khalid Abu Bakar — when it comes to providing crucial information to the public and the family members?
5. If no ransom was paid, as claimed by the PDRM and Putrajaya, then why the money, that belonged to the public and family members, was not safely returned back to them?
THE BIG TWIST
In a story published on The Sunday Post today, 19 June, Lau Cheng Kiong, the uncle of one of the four kidnapped Sarawakians, was quoted saying this:
"The sum was raised by the families, relatives, and friends and was transmitted through Hong Leong Bank in Sibu for the Special Branch police in Sandakan to withdraw on 24 May. Two Special Branch officers, armed with an approval letter from Bank Negara, withdrew the sum and carried them in 12 metal cases to the police station."
Here, that statement should have cleared the mystery surrounding the "missing" RM12 million. But it does not!
As, in the same story, Lau Cheng Kiong has refused to comment on the contradictory statements made by both IGP Khalid Abu Bakar and DPM Ahmad Zahid Hamidi about the whereabouts of the RM12 million ransom money and to whom it was allegedly paid.
He reportedly wants the issue "to be put to rest now".
"I hope the public will not focus on the contradictory statements. I understand it is difficult for some quarters to speak out on the ransom payment because of the international pressures," he said when contacted by The Sunday Post.