Bukan 1 Omega, Tapi 2 Omega

Dalam kontroversi yang dihadapi oleh Anwar Ibrahim pada hari ini, ramai yang terlepas pandang pada 1 lagi Omega yang menjadi kontroversi yang dikaitkan dengan Anwar Ibrahim, lebih sedekad yang lalu.

Baca berikut, jika ingin tahu Omega yang satu lagi.

Omega Securities

During the go-go 1990s, Datuk Tony Tiah Thee Kian stood at the top of the stockbroking heap. TA Enterprise Bhd was the largest stockbroker in town, with over 700 remisiers and a huge client base.

On Oct 12, 1990, as part of a restructuring exercise, TA Enterprise acquired TA Securities. A month later, TA Enterprise was listed on the then Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (KLSE). In March 1991, TA Enterprise acquired Botly & Co Sdn Bhd.

On March 30, 1990, AT Securities Sdn Bhd, an outfit started by Tiah and his wife, changed its name to Omega Securities Sdn Bhd. Both Omega Securities and Pahang-based WK Securities were acquired by Omega Holdings Bhd on March 8, 1991.

While Omega was thriving and Tiah was busy expanding his business beyond Malaysian shores, there were hints of a scandal emerging.

In a July 1993 news report, for example, Tony Tiah came out to deny that TA Securities was in any way linked to the Union Paper Holdings Bhd scandal.

The Union Paper case involved the massive short-selling of the company’s shares on the KLSE, which resulted in the exchange having to buy in Union Paper shares. Tiah also denied that TA had suffered large contra losses due to a rather significant correction in the market then.

In 1997, things got more serious. Other names were being linked to the Tiahs, names such as businessman Datuk Soh Chee Wen.

On March 23, 1998, Tiah resigned from the KLSE committee, citing health reasons. Three weeks later, on April 9, he withdrew his resignation.

In June 1998, Omega Securities’ trading licence was terminated after it had failed to meet the KLSE’s minimum liquid funds requirement. Eleven other brokerages were placed under trading restrictions.

Tiah and Soh were charged with defrauding Omega Securities of RM424mil in a share transaction in August 1999.

Soh admitted to conspiring with Tiah in providing false statements to the stock exchange pertaining to 44,592,000 shares of Omega Holdings, between Sept 2, 1997 and Jan 12, 1998.

Tiah was fined RM3mil, in default 30 months’ imprisonment, on each charge. Soh admitted guilt to the second of two principal charges of defrauding the now-defunct Omega Securities of RM95.97mil.

On May 11, 2002, Tiah resigned as executive chairman of TA Enterprise and his wife took over the stewardship of the company. He returned to the post in August 2007. [The Star]

Apa pula kaitannya dengan Anwar? Jawapannya ada di [SINI].

Baca juga kenyataan akhbar Suruhanjaya Sekuriti bertarikh 5 Jun 1998 di [SINI].