SENIOR PAS leaders did not only know that Rameli Musa was footing the bill for party president Abdul Hadi Awang’s out-of-court settlement with Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown, they had also agreed to pay Rameli back.

A PAS source told The Malaysian Insight at least five senior PAS leaders knew of the RM1.4 million payment from Rameli to Rewcastle-Brown.

Rameli paid with his own money on the understanding that he would be repaid, said the source.

“Datuk Rameli’s action was definitely known to several PAS leaders and had their mandate,” the source said, on Hadi’s negotiations with Rewcastle-Brown to settle the case in London.

“But the five PAS leaders are now acting like they didn’t know what was Rameli was up to.”

The Malaysian Insight is withholding the names of the five leaders pending their response to a request for comment.

Rameli was questioned for five hours by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission on March 5 in relation to the RM1.4 million payment. He was called just days after it was revealed that the Bank Islam Malaysia Bhd cheque made out to Rewcastle-Brown was from his account.

PAS leaders have denied knowledge of the payment, with some saying it was made by third parties who did not wish to see the case drag on.

Several quarters have accused Rameli, who was appointed Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd chairman on January 3, of intervening in the case on behalf of Pakatan Harapan leaders.

While Rameli was being questioned, his wife Norlella Md Akram asked some questions of her own on Facebook, regarding the PAS’ leaders’ swiftness in distancing themselves from her husband.

“Does Islam teach people to just abandon those who have helped them when there is trouble, and is there no sympathy or even a word of concern from those who have been helped?

“The truth will prevail,” she said, before deleting the post and closing her Facebook account the following day.

The Malaysian Insight was told the negotiations to settle the case lasted five months, from September to January, and that Rameli had represented Hadi in the discussions with the blessing of five PAS leaders.

For one of the discussions, Rameli met Rewcastle-Brown at a hotel in London at the end of 2018, said the source.

The money was paid up even before the London High Court recorded the settlement.

Rameli paid the Sarawak Report editor RM1.4 million on January 31, a day before the court would make a ruling.

Lawyer Americk Sidhu, who represented Rewcastle-Brown, confirmed Rameli was Hadi’s negotiator.

Hadi had sued Rewcastle-Brown over an article in the Sarawak Report on August 6, 2018, in which it is alleged that he received RM90 million from Umno before the May 9 general election last year.

Rewcastle-Brown subsequently filed a counter-suit against Hadi. – March 30, 2019.