Lawyer Mansoor Saat says not on the run from MACC, believes suffering collateral damage from business ties with Muhyiddin's son-in-law

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 — Lawyer Mansoor Saat, who is also a businessman, today said he is not a fugitive on the run from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

In a statement, Mansoor said the MACC's August 7 press statement had painted him in the worst of lights by indicating that he was running away to avoid prosecution, but said there “is not greater falsehood than that”.

“I am not a fugitive. I am also not on the run,” the shareholder and director of NERS Sdn Bhd said in the statement sent to Malay Mail.

Mansoor said MACC's investigating officer has sought to cast aspersions on his integrity despite knowing the truth.

He said he had left Malaysia lawfully, but that this was being used against him as a purported sign of guilty conduct, and rejected this “false narrative”.

Mansoor said that MACC had in mid-March this year called him, where he was told that his assistance was required in an investigation into alleged bribery of government officers in relation to the change of the receiving account for the concession proceeds from the Home Ministry to NERS's operation account instead of to the scheduled and sanctioned project account

“I cooperated fully. It took three days. MACC did not show to me any evidence to support the allegation of bribery or corrupt practices,” he said.

During the three-day-long investigation, Mansoor said a senior MACC officer came to him and persuaded him to transfer NERS' shares registered in his name to a new shareholder of S5 Systems Sdn Bhd (S5), which was NERS' operating company at that time.

Mansoor claimed that it was “impressed" upon him that his ordeal would be over if he agreed to transfer his shares, and that he had a few days after MACC's probe received a letter drafted by S5 for him to transfer his shares in NERS to S5.

“It is obvious that what I am going through now is caused by my refusal to transfer the shares,” he said.

Mansoor said that in his subsequent meeting with the MACC investigating officer, the latter indicated to him that the offence against him now would be for authorising the change of the receiving account of the concession proceeds from the company's project account to the company's operation account and the subsequent transfers of the money from the operation account.

“The officer did not tell me when I would be charged in court. I maintain that there is no offence committed as the transactions were lawfully made and I did not personally benefit. That the MACC deemed it to be against the law is something beyond my comprehension,” he said.

Mansoor said all the decisions made over NER's accounts were made in its best interest considering the impact of Covid-19 on the financial health of the company but without affecting its obligations to bondholders and other creditors.

“The amount of funding made by shareholders to NERS to meet its obligations throughout the contract or concession period was also considered.

“I vehemently deny any suggestion that there was embezzlement of funds from the company. The record will speak for itself. I earnestly believe the MACC has no jurisdiction over the transactions involving the company as there is no element of either abuse of power or bribery involved. It is simply a matter of normal commercial transactions.

“After regularly attending to my bail obligations, I left the country in mid-May 2023 for a business trip, and in between, for a badly needed holiday break,” he said.

Mansoor said the MACC investigating officer subsequently contacted him, and he had responded in writing with a June 3 letter, where he said he was travelling overseas for business and would return once the business matters have been attended to. He said he has not received a formal reply from MACC.

He said the MACC investigating officer later insisted on an urgent basis that he come back during the height of the political campaign for the state election scheduled for August 12.

He said he had stated that there was unfinished business which required his attention and that he would return in due course.

But after he refused to come back before the state elections, Mansoor said he and his wife's personal bank accounts had been frozen without notice and cause while saying his wife has nothing to do at all with the matter being probed by MACC, and that a travel ban has been imposed on him as the Immigration Department has classified his passport as such, and that he is being “harassed relentlessly by the officers of MACC with threats of vilification and character assassination”.

Mansoor said that any statement that he is uncontactable is untrue, and that the MACC investigating officer in charge of the investigation knows of his whereabouts.

“I had cooperated and will continue to render assistance in any investigation as required within the legal framework.

“I will however not allow myself to be bullied into submission and to part with my shares to benefit some corporate players close to some MACC officers.

Mansoor also believes that what he is going through now is due to the singling out of his business ties with Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's son-in-law Datuk Seri Muhammad Adlan Berhan.

“I state that I am being unlawfully implicated and now suffering as a collateral damage because of my business association with Dato’ Sri Muhammad Adlan Berhan. I believe that there is a political undertone in this entire episode which is very unfortunate. I am a businessman as well as an advocate & solicitor who has business associations with a lot other people and I am surprised that my association with Datuk Seri is singled out.

“To date I am at a loss as to why I am being persecuted. The Media Release seeking assistance to locate me is in bad taste and is totally unnecessary. It serves to enforce my belief that there is an ongoing effort at smearing and assassinating characters and reputations, including mine.

“I state emphatically that I am innocent. I assert my right to fairness and reject any attempt by MACC to use the media to influence public opinion of me or any other persons as being guilty of some offences and in the process to shore up its flagging reputation or to appease the political dispensation. I am saddened that the MACC is being weaponised in such deplorable fashion,” he said.

Mansoor said he has full faith in Malaysia's judicial system to protect his constitutional rights, stating: “I will return to Malaysia to face prosecution if any, but I will not do so as long as I am being persecuted.”

Mansoor said he is consulting with his lawyers on the MACC's press release as well as his next course of action, including the launching of a lawsuit against MACC for the abuse of power and misfeasance in public office.