NGO claims RM50mil paid to individuals to transfer elephants to Japan

PUTRAJAYA: An environmental NGO claims that some RM50 million was paid to several individuals, not the government, for the transfer of three elephants to Japan, urging graft-busters to investigate the matter.

Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia president Rajesh Nagarajan said the group was tipped off on the matter by a purported whistleblower.

“We believe that the payment has not gone into the coffers of the Malaysian government, but rather into the pockets of these individuals.

“We have a total of eight people that we want investigated,” he told a press conference outside the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters here.

Rajesh, a lawyer by profession, also claimed that the transferred elephants were captured from the wild, not raised in captivity, asking how the transfer was approved.

“We believe there are elements of corruption and that a holistic investigation must be held.”

The three elephants – Dara, Amoi, and Kelat – were relocated to Tennoji Zoo in Osaka, Japan, as part of a conservation and research programme.

There was a ruckus outside the MACC headquarters today when Rajesh and several others were denied entry as the anti-graft agency only allowed two people to enter the building at a time to file reports.

MACC strategic communications director Hisyam Yusoff maintained that reports could be lodged by the public, but that a maximum of two people would be allowed in: the complainant and a lawyer.