Discreet deposits: In situations involving politicians, a safehouse is essentially a place treated as a ‘safe’ for stashing money, unaudited expensive items and sensitive documents, that is unknown to their political rivals, the authorities and, to some extent, even their own party members. — This visual is human-created, AI-aided
Politicians’ cash and conversations go off-the-record in these havens
PETALING JAYA: The recent discovery of large amounts of cash in “safehouses” allegedly linked to a prominent politician has piqued the interest on the use of such premises among those in political circles.
A safehouse in a normal context is a secret location where a trusted party provides shelter and protection to prosecution witnesses or victims of domestic abuse or are enforcement agencies’ secure locations.
In situations involving politicians, a safehouse is essentially a place treated as a “safe” for stashing money, unaudited expensive items and sensitive documents, that is unknown to their political rivals, the authorities and, to some extent, even their own party members.
Politicians from both sides of the divide said no politician in their right mind would tell you they have a safehouse.
They said any leak about the existence of a safehouse would render it “unsafe,” as these premises usually double up as political war rooms.
Sources said the safehouses of politicians need not necessarily be residential buildings – they could also be an association, office or an organisation registered under proxies who hold the cash in their safekeeping under their names.
“We call them ‘rumah kebal,’ meaning impenetrable houses,” said one politician when asked if local politicians have safehouses. “There are many terms for it so as to be undetectable.”
The term “safehouse” became a buzzword in recent days after the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) announced that it had raided three safehouses linked to a politician.
Meanwhile, an aide to an Umno politician said the concept of safehouses has changed over the years.
“Stashing cash in a place is the old way of doing it.
“Now there are more creative modes of immediate payment other than cash, which are not easy to detect. Unless of course you are way deep in rural areas where cash is the only mode of payment,” said the aide.
An aide of a retired Umno MP said safehouses are also places where politicians have their secret meetings.
“There is one high-end area in Kuala Lumpur which hosts many of these safehouses and sometimes, the units may be next to each other, but the politicians are from opposing parties.
“No one will dare to expose their enemy, for fear that they would be found out too,” said the aide.
A Perikatan Nasional politician said things have changed after the Pandora Papers and Panama Papers exposed how some Malaysian politicians stashed their wealth overseas.
The Pandora Papers and Panama Papers are troves of documents leaked in 2021 and 2016, respectively, that revealed the hidden wealth of world leaders, billionaires and celebrities who used offshore companies to acquire mansions, private jets and stakes in companies.
Several prominent Malaysians were named in both sets of papers, comprising politicians and businessmen.
“If anyone wants to fund our political agenda, we tell them to keep it first. We will come to you when we need it.
“We don’t have cash like politicians of other bigger parties. Our accounts are still frozen by the MACC, so for now, there is nothing much for us to stash anywhere. What comes in goes out,” said the Perikatan politician.
Amanah president Datuk Seri Mohamad Sabu, when asked if he kept safehouses, cheekily said: “No, I only know of coffee houses.”
PAS MPs, when approached, said that they don’t know what a safehouse is.
For the more creative among our politicians, a secure place need not just be a safe house – it can also be something as unexpected as a car.
According to a source, many politicians today have turned to holding secret meetings in their vehicles, opting for this mobile and discreet way to avoid detection.
Enforcement Leadership and Management University vice-chancellor Dr Kassim Noor Mohamed wrote on MACC website that the lack of legislation on political funding enables politicians to amass wealth without limits.
“The absence of clearly defined regulations on political funding in Malaysia has given rise to a situation where any politician or political party can receive contributions without limit and from sources that are not disclosed,” he said.
