KUALA LUMPUR – Police investigations have found that former deputy religious minister Datuk Mashitah Ibrahim and her husband’s overseas investment activities did not breach any laws, said Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain.
In a brief message to Scoop today, Razarudin confirmed that the couple’s statements to police also do not show that they have been involved in human trafficking activities.
When asked further if the couple’s investment dealings supposedly tied to scam centres in Myanmar will still be probed by police, Razarudin implied that the duo’s businesses were above board.
“Our investigations are comprehensive. If I say that they (Mashitah and husband) are not involved in human trafficking, this includes any investment activities which go against Malaysia’s laws,” Razarudin said in his message to Scoop.
Mashitah’s husband is former diplomatic officer Datuk Abdul Shakor Abu Bakar.
Meanwhile, Bernama reported Razarudin saying that although the former Baling MP, her husband and three other individuals were confirmed to have travelled to Myanmar for real estate investment purposes, “the investigation concluded that no such investment was made”.
Police, he added, recorded the statements of 11 individuals in the course of its investigation and reviewed several related bank accounts, and found no links to human trafficking.
He also said the focus of the investigation has now shifted to a man holding a ‘Datuk Seri,’ title, who is suspected of “masterminding operations” by recruiting investors for Myanmar.
“The authorities are examining the role of this individual in profiting from persuaded investors and the connections between some individuals and two Chinese businessmen,” he said.
Razarudin previously said that the investigation is being conducted under Section 12 of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) Act 2007 regarding the offence of trafficking in persons.
Mashitah meanwhile, responded to a news report of Razarudin’s remarks by posting on Facebook “The truth will come to eliminate falsehood”.
She said her prayers as a “wrongly persecuted” individual have been received by God.
Previously, Mashitah, who remains active in politics as a Wanita Umno figure, claimed that her presence at a controversial 2020 event in Myanmar was at the invitation of a “friend”, one Datuk Seri Liong Kee Huat.
In a video posted on her Facebook page, Mashitah stressed that her and Abdul Shakor’s presence at the event, which she confirmed was a groundbreaking ceremony for the Saixigang Industrial Park, were merely as “guests”.
The Saixigang Industrial Park, later renamed to Dongmei Zone, was subsequently reported by various media as a place where job seekers were brought to work in scam centres, after being duped by recruiters.
A heavily guarded site in Myawaddy, Myanmar, Dongmei Zone is said to be rife with criminal activities, illicit drugs, and brothels allegedly linked with prominent Malaysian figures as investors.
It was reported in February this year by China Press that 11 Malaysian trafficking victims had attempted to escape the zone, with success for only six of them.
Mashitah had posted photos on Facebook of her and Abdul Shakor attending the 2020 groundbreaking ceremony for the Saixigang Industrial Park in February that year, with one photo showing her husband delivering a speech, while armed militia stand in the background.
Photos of another related event – a launch and investor appreciation night for the industrial park – held at the JW Marriott Hotel in Kuala Lumpur were also posted on her Facebook on March 17, 2020. In her caption for the photos, Mashitah labelled herself as an “ironlady” for the project.
Other photos shared by Mashitah show her and her husband standing alongside convicted Macau mob boss Wan Kuok-koi, also known as Broken Tooth, as well as former Malaysian fugitive Nicky Liow, who was charged with 26 counts of money laundering in April 2022.
Using these photos, human rights group Justice for Myanmar (JFM) published a report alleging Mashitah and other Malaysian figures’ involvement with the park.
JFM also linked a company called Grand Commerce Network Sdn Bhd, jointly owned by Mashitah and her husband,to the industrial park project. Companies Commission documents sighted by Scoop show that the decade-old company has Mashitah and her husband as sole directors and shareholders, holding 85% and 15%, respectively.
Abdul Shakor, meanwhile, is also one of two Malaysian directors in the Hong Kong-registered Dongmei Investment Group Company Ltd, which was sanctioned by the United States Department of Treasury as part of entities “owned or controlled” by Wan.
JFM also alleged the involvement of Myanmar militant group, the Karen National Army, in Dongmei Zone.
The allegations of links to human trafficking, however, were raised by local non-governmental organisation Malaysian International Humanitarian Organisation (MHO), which cited an investigative report video published on YouTube by Deduktif Indonesia. – September 7, 2024