KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 — The use of the wrong photograph of Sarawak Report’s (SR) alleged document forger in Lester Melanyi’s video confession is yet another indication that the former journalist’s allegations cannot be trusted, PKR’s Rafizi Ramli said.
Malay Mail Online reported this morning that the photograph of the purported London-based forger that Lester named as “James Steward Stephen” was actually of one “James Steward”, a British railway sales manager.
Referring to Malay Mail Online’s report, Rafizi, who was one of those named by Lester as complicit in SR’s alleged plot to unseat Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, said the slip-up by Melanyi’s video makers proves that the entire confession was part of a profit-oriented scam.
“This is proof that the submission made by Lester is fake and selfishly profit-oriented, after he himself had admitted to being paid for the video,” he said in a statement.
Rafizi also said that the revelation is a “slap of reality and a lesson” to Umno minister Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan who had “bravely” stepped forward last week to expose Lester’s video.
The PKR lawmaker also demanded that the Barisan Nasional (BN) strategic communications director apologise for his move.
“With this latest exposé, he (Abdul Rahman) should come out to apologise to Malaysians for trumpeting glory on an unsubstantiated and fake report to confuse the people on the scandal surrounding 1MDB, he said referring to Najib’s 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB),” he said.
Rafizi also urged the police and the Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) to investigate Lester to identify who had funded the former Sarawak Tribune editor’s explosive video confession.
In his second video accusing website SR and Malaysian opposition leaders of working together in a conspiracy to remove Najib from office, Lester was seen naming the web designer responsible for the allegedly forged documents on 1MDB as one James Steward Stephen.
The picture appears to have been lifted from the website of the East Anglia chapter of RailFuture, a British advocacy group for better passenger and freight rail services, and which was used for a summary of a talk Steward gave in 2010 as Norwich area station manager for National Express East Anglia (NXEA).
Stephen has since joined another rail service provider, Abellio Greater Anglia, where he works as their Ipswich area customer service manager.
Abellio Greater Anglia confirmed with Malay Mail Online early this morning that although the picture used in the video is of its employee “James Steward”, the man does not have any connections with Malaysia.
Last Thursday, the Melanyi had admitted to Malay Mail Online that he was paid to expose a grand conspiracy ostensibly involving Malaysia’s opposition and SR founder Rewcastle-Brown to unseat Najib using purportedly doctored leaks of documents on 1MDB.
Lester’s admission came a day after Abdul Rahman told reporters that he had evidence that SR and its editors had fabricated the alleged document leaks in an attempt to discredit Najib.
Yesterday, DAP MP Tony Pua said he will instruct lawyers to initiate legal action against Lester who named Pua and PKR’s Rafizi Ramli as co-conspirators in the claimed “1MDB mission” to remove Najib.
