exclusive The Malaysian embassy in Washington DC had paid a total of US$1.2 million (RM4.4 million) to disgraced American lobbyist Jack Abramoff, said the US Senate Committee of Indian Affairs in its final report released last week.

The June 22 report was the result of a two-year investigation into Abramoff, who have pleaded guilty in January to defrauding a number of Native American tribes that had sought his services in establishing their gambling operations.

While the committee focused its probe on Abramoff's illegal activities with the Native American tribes, it nevertheless found documents relating to the lobbyist's work for the Malaysian government.

It is believed that the payment - made to bogus think-tank American International Centre - was for Abramoff's services in organising a meeting between US President George W Bush and then prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad in 2002.

"According to documents and financial records in the committee's possession, the Embassy of Malaysia made four payments of $300,000 each to AIC, on June 29, 2001, October 5, 2001, January 3, 2002, and March 13, 2002," said the report.

Invoice unearthed

Malaysiakini has earlier reported that the committee unearthed an invoice of US$300,000 (RM1.1 million) from AIC, issued on June 15, 2001, addressed to Dr Fauziah Mohamad Taib, who was then deputy chief of mission of the Malaysian embassy.

According to the invoice ( left ), the money was for 'services' to be rendered over a two-month period from June 19 to Aug 19, 2001. It, however, did not provide further details on what these services were.

It added that the check should be made to AIC, a bogus organisation set up by an Abramoff partner, Michael Scanlon, based at a Delaware beach house near Washington DC, and which was headed by two of Scanlon's beach buddies.

The committee, which is chaired by Senator John McCain, revealed that in addition to this payment, there were three other payments of US$300,000 (RM1.1 million) each from the Malaysian embassy to AIC.

Fauziah, who two years later was appointed Malaysian high commissioner in Fiji, is currently the Foreign Ministry's director-general of the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations.

Attempts to contact Fauziah for comments has been unsuccessful.

According to the committee, part of the RM4.4 million paid to AIC went to an individual named Khaled Saffuri "apparently for 'salary/consulting' purposes regarding Malaysia".

Exploiting native Americans

Abramoff and Scanlon have since admitted using AIC to collect millions from their lobbying clients.

By routing the money in that way, Abramoff identified his client on federal lobbying disclosure forms as the Delaware-based center instead of the Malaysian government.

The US Senate committee said that media reports had suggested that Abramoff might have used AIC to circumvent requirements under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, particularly involving the Malaysian embassy.

"However, those activities are unrelated to the tribes' allegations of misconduct. Accordingly, while the committee has information corroborative of some of those media reports, the committee has arrived at no definitive conclusions regarding those activities," it said.

The wide-ranging federal inquiry began in 2004 after reports that Abramoff and business partner Scanlon had received some US$45 million (RM116 million) from Native American tribes with casinos.

Abramoff was accused of exploiting the tribes to enrich himself and his friends, and offering politicians in both houses of Congress lavish meals, tickets to major sporting events and trips.

He was sentenced to five years and 10 months jailed in March in a separate case involving irregularities in the purchase of a fleet of casino boats.

While he had pleaded guilty for defrauding the American tribes, sentencing has yet been handed down in this second case.

Other lobbyists

Abramoff is not the only lobbyist being paid for arranging the Mahathir-Bush meeting.

At least one other Washington lobbying firm - Alexander Strategies, which was run by an Abramoff friend and former chief of staff to then-House Majority Leader Tom DeLay - was also compensated - for up to US$1 million (RM3.7 million) during this period for helping boost Malaysia's reputation in Washington.

The Bush-Mahathir meeting was held at a time when the then prime minister was criticised for his anti-Jewish remarks and for jailing ex-deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim on what many claimed to be on trump-up charges.

Mahathir had earlier this year denied that the government had paid for lobbying efforts to secure the much-sought-after meeting with Bush.

"I understood some people paid a sum of money to lobbyists in America but I do not know who these people were and it was not the Malaysian government," said Mahathir.