KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — A group of British investors who suffered heavy losses in a Malaysian telecommunications scheme braved the St Jude storm in London yesterday to highlight their case to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak who was in the UK capital for the 9th World Islamic Economic Forum.
The British investors — comprising bus drivers, small business owners and city workers — accused Malaysian authorities of dragging their feet about pressing fraud charges against former Umno treasurer Datuk Seri Azim Mohd Zabidi.
“The BVIM (British Victims of Investing in Malaysia) stated at the protest their disappointment at the length of time it is taking for justice to be done in Malaysia with the criminal fraud case they have launched already in its second year of investigation!” BVIM said in a statement today.
“With no results for over two years coming from the Malaysian AG (Attorney-General) and Public Prosecutor, the BVIM asked: If there is any rule of law in Malaysia for foreign investors? If British investment in Malaysia is safe?” they added.
Sixty British investors sued Azim and his IT company, Doxport Technologies Sdn Bhd, last February for allegedly misappropriating US$4 million (RM12.6 million) in 2009.
The suit was filed at the Kuala Lumpur High Court against Azim, Doxport Technologies, director and CEO Sivalingam Thechinamoorthy, and accounts department staff Gurmeet Kaur.
The 60 British investors had invested about US$4 million (RM12.59 million) purchasing Telekom switches and equity in Doxport Technologies in January 2009, when Azim was the Umno treasurer then, according to their lawyers.
The investors subsequently lodged a police report in 2011 after realising that no such Telekom switches were operating in Malaysia.
Their lawyer, Hasnal Rezua Merican, said last February that the police have already sent investigation papers to the Attorney-General’s Chambers after investigating the case for 14 months.
