Tony Pua confirms meeting Sarawak Report editor many times

DAP parliamentarian Tony Pua today revealed that he had met Clare Rewcastle-Brown, the editor of news portal Sarawak Report, many times, in Singapore, Indonesia and London.

He made the revelation at a press conference at the DAP headquarters here.

On meeting former PetroSaudi International executive Xavier Andre Justo, Pua said: "I never heard of Justo until the news broke out that he was arrested in Bangkok."

He also denied knowing former Sarawak Tribune editor Lester Melanyi who claimed recently that Justo had admitted to meeting several opposition leaders who wanted to buy information to discredit the government in connection with 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) in London two or three times in 2012 and 2013.

"No. I have never seen Lester in all my life," the Petaling Jaya Utara MP said of Melanyi, who, in a 6.02-minute video clip released recently, disclosed that almost 90 percent of the content of Sarawak Report's articles on government investment company 1MDB had been tampered with by opposition politicians to denigrate the government and topple Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

In the clip, Melanyi named a web designer based in London whom he claimed was engaged by Rewcastle-Brown to allegedly alter and create e-mails as well as false agreements to make them look genuine.

Pua at the press conference also expressed his dissatisfaction on the move by the Immigration Department to bar him from leaving the country at the low-cost carrier terminal Kuala Lumpur International Airport2 (klia2) in Sepang this evening.

Pua said he was supposed to leave for Jogjakarta, Indonesia on an AirAsia flight at 3.15pm as part of the Penang Art District project.

"No clue why. The Immigration officers suggested that I approach the Security Division of the Home Ministry to appeal or request for permission to leave the country.

"I have never been barred before. I was shocked," he said.

Pua said after Indonesia, he was supposed to go to Singapore to attend a reunion dinner with his former schoolmates before returning home to Malaysia.

"My plan is to come back and not to run away," he added.

Till the filing of this report, Bernama was not able to get feedback from the Home Ministry and the Immigration Department on the reason Pua was barred from leaving the country.

However, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar in Shah Alam today told reporters that he did not rule out the possibility that several individuals may be detained following claims made by Melanyi that several opposition leaders had cooperated with Sarawak Report to denigrate the government and topple Najib.