It must be a whirlwind 24 hours in the court of public opinion for Lester Melanyi.
The Sarawak native, claiming to be a “former editor” at whistleblower site Sarawak Report, was featured in a video confession, where he admits to working with SR founder Clare Rewcastle-Brown in a plot to topple Prime Minister Najib Razak, under the direction of former Federal Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim as well as PKR secretary-general Rafizi Ramli and DAP’s Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua.
“1MDB plan was first told to me by Clare in January this year (2015). She told me we have a very important mission this time for Anwar Ibrahim and she told me that I have to do according to what Tony Pua and Rafizi wanted,” he said in the video, detailing the aftermath of an alleged meeting between Rewcastle-Brown and himself, and Anwar in London in 2014.
“But what they (Pua and Rafizi) showed me most that some of the facts that I have to gain from London like emails and everything because all these are created,” he claimed.
Melanyi also professed to have been under the emply of the Bruno Manser Foundation (BMF) since 2011, and said the BMF had funded Sarawak Report and Radio Free Sarawak.
Melanyi’s video confession follows Urban Wellbeing, Housing, and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan announced that he had received information from an individual that SR and Rewcastle-Brown had forged 1MDB documents to be presented as damning evidence against the company and Najib.
In response to the video, Rewcastle-Brown told The Malaysian Insider‘s Ram Anand that Melanyi had never been a part of Sarawak Report, but was actually the former editor of local newspaper Sarawak Tribune, who left the paper after it was suspended in 2006.
Rewcastle-Brown insisted that Melanyi had never written a word for SR. She also said that she knew Melanyi through his work with Radio Free Sarawak, over five years ago.
“I have not met him for a good number of years,” Rewcastle-Brown said, adding that Melanyi was likely “paid” for the video confession he had reportedly made. “I assume someone paid him for this.”
Melanyi surprisingly admitted to being paid for his video confession., but would not name who paid him nor state how much he was paid.
“Yes, some of the comments are true. I am not ashamed to say that I have received money from certain people,” he said in an exclusive interview with Sulok Tawie and Ida Lim of The Malay Mail Online.
He also claimed that his e-mail account, which contained archived correspondence allegedly proving attempts at forgery were made, had been blocked or hacked, thus rendering unable to present evidence.
“I started working with Sarawak Report as well as for Radio Free Sarawak for one year and three months. I did not have any official letter to appoint me as the representative, but it was based on a mutual understanding.
“I stopped working for Sarawak Report last year because I felt that Sarawak Report had deviated from its original aim, from highlighting issues on environment to now politics,” he said.
Lester said he decided to end his ties with SR after Rewcastle Brown approached him for help on a 1MDB story.
“Sometime in January this year, Clare called and told me of a mission against Najib… she said it was about some financial scandal involving 1MDB and Najib and to help Anwar (Ibrahim) in his court case.”
Melanyi also said he was asked to verify certain points in SR‘s report on July 2, titled “Sensational findings! – Prime Minister Najib Razak’s Personal Accounts Linked To 1MDB money Trail”, which alleged – along with The Wall Street Journal‘s report on the same day – that USD700 million (RM2.6 billion) in 1MDB funds were transferred into Najib’s personal bank accounts a month before the 13th General Elections in 2013.
“I made no changes or alteration to the story. My comment was ‘that is it’. I was shocked to read the story, which I felt was unbelievable,” he said.
“I asked her, was this a scam? She (Rewcastle-Brown) replied, it was an ‘honest scam’,” he said.
Melanyi stated that he had tried several times to alert Barisan Nasional leaders to Rewcastle-Brown’s plot to discredit Najib and 1MDB, but was only given serious attention on the matter last month.
He said he was also asked to go to Kuala Lumpur four times and was “treated more like a VVIP, escorted by four men everywhere I went” as those who had shown interest in his story tried to get to the bottom of things.
He identified Ramesh Rao Krishnan Naidu as his contact in Kuching, and to which he gave a copy of incriminating e-mails allegedly sent by Rewcastle-Brown.
“Ramesh said he’s a special officer to Najib and said Najib sent him to see me.”
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) clarified to MMO that there was no special officer by the name of Ramesh Rao Krishnan Naidu on its payroll.
Know about something happening in KL and Malaysia? Want to share? Send us an email:kl@coconuts.co – don’t just read the news, make it!
