Nor Mohamed akui tak maklum urus niaga forex kepada Dr M
Bekas penolong gabenor BNM, Nor Mohamed Yakcop turut mengakui tidak memaklumkan urus niaga dan kerugian forex kepada Daim Zainuddin dan Anwar Ibrahim yang merupakan menteri kewangan mulai 1984 hingga 1998.
Beliau merujuk perdana menteri ketika itu, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad serta 2 menteri kewangannya, iaitu Tun Daim Zainuddin (1984-1991) dan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim (1991-1998).
“Saya tidak pernah pada bila-bila masa pada 1986 hingga 1993 berbincang dengan menteri kewangan (Daim dan Anwar) mengenai urus niaga forex yang dijalankan BNM,” katanya di Istana Kehakiman hari ini.
Nor Mohamed yang juga bekas penasihat kewangan BNM berkata demikian ketika memberi keterangan dalam prosiding Suruhanjaya Siasatan Diraja (RCI) berhubung kerugian perdagangan mata wang asing bank pusat itu pada awal 1990-an, hari ini.
Prosiding hari ini merupakan sesi ke-5 RCI bagi menyiasat skandal kerugian forex BNM sekitar 1990-an.
Terdahulu, bekas gabenor BNM, Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz ketika memberi keterangan kepada RCI hari ini berkata, bank pusat itu mengalami kerugian sehingga 10 kali ganda sejak pelaburan forex dimulakan pada 1988, termasuk kerugian sebanyak RM31.506 bilion antara tahun 1991 hingga 1994.
Bekas penolong gabenor BNM, Datuk Murad Abdul Khalid pada 21 Ogos lalu mendakwa pernah memaklumkan Anwar mengenai kerugian AS$170 juta yang dialami BNM akibat perdagangan forex pada awal 1990-an.
Beliau dilaporkan berkata, penerangan terbabit dibuat dalam rombongan bersama menteri kewangan itu ke Hawaii pada 1994, namun beliau diarah tidak mendedahkan kerugian itu bagi mengelakkan Anwar hilang jawatan.
RCI itu dipengerusikan bekas ketua setiausaha negara, Tan Sri Mohd Sidek Hassan; Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi, Datuk Kamaludin Md Said; Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Bursa Malaysia Berhad, Datuk Seri Tajuddin Atan; Pengerusi Bersama Pasukan Petugas Khas Pemudahcara Perniagaan, Tan Sri Saw Choo Boon; Ahli Institut Akauntan Malaysia, K Pushpanathan; dan Setiausaha Bahagian Pelaburan Strategik Kementerian Kewangan, Datuk Dr Yusof Ismail.
Nor Mohamed: I never discussed forex trading with Mahathir, finance ministers
Nor Mohamed: I never discussed forex trading with Mahathir, finance ministers
The former Bank Negara assistant governor accepts responsibility for the forex losses by the central bank that led to his resignation in 1994.
PUTRAJAYA: A former Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) assistant governor, who was directly involved in forex trading, told a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) that he did not discuss the matter with Dr Mahathir Mohamad and two finance ministers during 1986 and 1993.
Nor Mohamed Yakcop said he did not discuss the forex trading conducted by the central bank with Daim Zainuddin or Anwar Ibrahim.
Daim was finance minister from 1986 to 1991 while Anwar succeeded him and held the post until 1998.
The forex losses, said to be in the region of RM30.5 billion, happened when Mahathir was prime minister.
Nor Mohamed, a key witness to the financial scandal, is now testifying before a five-man RCI chaired by Mohd Sidek Hassan.
The RCI was set up by the government to investigate the forex losses and identify those responsible for it.
The witness, who was also adviser to the central bank, told the RCI that the bitter lesson learnt from the forex trading and other incidents became crucial when the knowledge gained was used to formulate policies to defend Malaysia against currency speculators who attacked the ringgit in the 1997/1998 Asian Financial Crisis.
“It saved the nation hundreds of billions of ringgit that otherwise would have been lost,” he said in reading his witness statement.
He said the forex losses happened and there was no denying it.
“There is also no denying my accountability for the forex losses. I accept my fair share of the responsibility and resigned from BNM,” he said.
Nor Mohamed said at that time it appeared to him a sad end “to my 25 years of service to the nation, through BNM.”
“However, with the grace of Allah SWT, I was given the opportunity in 1997/1998 to contribute to King and country during the financial crisis,” he said.
He said the experience in the forex unit at BNM during those years proved extremely useful later on in saving Malaysia from the devastating effect of the financial crisis.
Nor Mohamed said many Malaysian companies would have become bankrupt with large scale unemployment and poverty spreading all over the country.
“The political stability and socio-economic framework of the nation would have been destroyed,” he said, adding that disaster was averted due to unorthodox measures adopted in September 1998.
Due to the forex losses, Nor Mohamed resigned from the BNM in 1994.
He returned to BNM in 1998 and served until April 2000 and also became economic adviser to the government (May 2000 to December 2003) and Minister (2004 to 2013).
Nor Mohamed is credited to have advised Mahathir to peg the ringgit at RM3.80 to one US dollar to prevent further speculation on the local currency.
