ASIAN International Arbitration Centre (Malaysia) (AIAC) director Prof Dr Sundra Rajoo, who is seeking a fresh contract, is being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, which raided his office today, sources said.

Sundra, who was appointed by the previous Barisan Nasional government, is being investigated for allegedly using funds granted by the government to obtain favours from past and present ministers to extend his contract.

The Malaysian Insight learnt that MACC officers raided the arbitration centre office in Kuala Lumpur this afternoon.

“MACC raided his office and several staff were questioned,” a source said.

It is learnt that investigations began after MACC received an anonymous letter that detailed Sundra’s alleged wrongdoing.

Copies of the letter were also sent to Attorney-General Tommy Thomas, Inspector General of Police Mohamad Fuzi Harun, Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah, Malaysian Bar president George Varughese and other senior government officials.

The AIAC which was previously known as the Kuala Lumpur Regional Centre for Arbitration (KLRCA), which was renamed in February this year. 

Sundra was appointed KLRCA director in 2010, and his term was extended from February 2016 by the previous government.

The letter, which was also circulated in social media, also alleged that Sundra had granted favours to a current minister to extend his contract beyond February 2019.

At a recent law conference in Kota Kinabalu, de facto law minister Liew Vui Keong said the Pakatan Harapan cabinet will decide whether it will extend Sundra contract.

“That will be left to the cabinet to decide whether his tenure will be extended,” Liew told The Malaysian Insight.

On allegations against Sundra in the letter, Liew said he was unaware of them.

The Malaysian Insight has attempted to contact Sundra for comment and is still waiting for his response.

AIAC is the first of its kind organisation to be established under the Asian African Legal Consultative Organisation (AALCO), an international body comprising 47-member states from across the region.

Formed in an agreement between Malaysia and AALCO, the AIAC is a not-for-profit, non-governmental international arbitral institution which has been accorded independence and certain privileges and immunity by the Malaysian government for the purposes of executing its functions.

The AIAC role is to assist in resolving cross-border disputes and to counsel companies, senior management and stakeholders through the international arbitration process. Arbitration is the legal resolution of disputes outside the courts.

Sundra is also president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (CIArb) since 2016. He is also founding president of the Society of Construction Law, Malaysia and the past president of the Asia Pacific Regional Arbitration Grouping (APRAG), which is a federation of nearly 40 arbitral institutions in the Asia-Pacific region.

Sundra read law at the University of London, England. He holds a masters in construction law and arbitration from Leeds Metropolitan University and a masters of philosophy in law from Manchester University, according to his private arbitration website. – November 19, 2018.