Since the seizure of assets and the filing of lawsuits by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) on some individuals said to have stolen money from 1MDB, numerous quarters have put up defences on behalf of these individuals and 1MDB.

Are the defences put up worthy of consideration? Or are these desperate measures due to desperate circumstances?

Foreign interference in Malaysian affairs is now a favourite defend theme. Various reasons are attributed to this: jealousy, a domineering superpower with bad intention, and the fact that Malaysia is a Muslim country.

This is just odd to me. When Obama came to Malaysia as United States president more than four decades after Lyndon B Johnson, when our PM played golf with Obama, and when our VVIPs made numerous trips to the US officially and “clandestinely”, how come there was no scream of foreign interference?

To me it is simple; I wouldn’t say that the US is for Malaysia or against Malaysia. I think they are indifferent, acting within their jurisdiction and authority.

The next defence is money purportedly stolen and invested in the US was from IPIC, not 1MDB. They used the current arbitration in London between 1MDB and IPIC over money paid to a “wrong” subsidiary in IPIC as the reason for this defence.

I have one simple question on this argument: if indeed the ill-gotten money was from IPIC, may I know how Jho Low, Riza Aziz and Malaysian Official 1 were deemed to have benefited from it?

Are we saying those Arabs from IPIC stole the money and then handed it over to Jho Low and companies to squander it? Those two Arabs may be stupid, but definitely not that stupid.

Finally, why argue whether the case filed by the US DOJ is civil or criminal? Why argue that those named in the suits have yet been found culpable? To me this is splitting hair and carrying an argument to a ridiculous level.

I believe most of us would have no problem appraising DOJ’s action - if only the sources of wealth of those high profile individuals are made known, the origins and destinations of flows of funds are disclosed, the testimonies and whereabouts of Jho Low (and other related individuals) are gathered and disclosed, the contents of the auditor-general’s report on 1MDB declassified and the dossiers in Bank Negara Malaysia and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) tabulated and disclosed.

I think the people of this country have been on a wild goose chase for far too long already. Please don’t ask us to peel more onions.