DR RAIS bin SANIMAN
SPEAKING NOTE
1.
The Hong Kong Government has requested the extradition from the Republic of France of Dr Saniman to face serious charges of conspiracy to defraud and corruption.
2.
The allegations against Dr Saniman concern very substantial advances made by Bumiputra Malaysia Finance Limited ("BMFL"), a deposit taking company in Hong Kong, of which he was a director to companies trading in Hong Kong which may loosely be described as the "Carrian Group of Companies". The evidence in the case shows that between December 1979 and March 1983 advances totalling approximately US$ 800 million were made to these companies in circumstances that can only be described as fraudulent. During the same period corrupt payments exceeding HK$ 260 million were paid to the directors and staff of "BMFL" by George Tan, a Hong Kong businessman who was head of the Carrian Group. It is the crown's case that Dr Saniman played a significant part in the fraud in return for which he received substantial bribes.
3.
The prosecution of these offences is a matter of high priority to the Hong Kong Government. The case as alleged discloses one of the most serious frauds on a bank ever reported and the corrupt advantages offered and received by bank officials are on an unprecedented scale.
4.
Requests for the extradition of two other directors of "BMFL" were made to the United Kingdom some years ago. The court made an order in respect of the extradition of Lorrain Osman in 1987. Mr Osman, however continues to challenge this order in the British courts. Hashim Shamsudin returned voluntarily to Hong Kong and was sentenced finally to ten years imprisonment upon his pleas of guilty to two charges of conspiracy to defraud and two of corruption. George Tan is charged in Hong Kong with 23 offences relating to these matters and his trial has been postponed pending the return to Hong Kong of the others involved.
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