AUSSIE TASK FORCE PROBE PAYMENTS TO FOREIGN MIDDLEMEN

MELBOURNE, Sept 10 (Bernama) -- The Age newspaper here today reported that a
Malaysian businessman who had brokered currency printing deals for two
Australian companies in Malaysia was also a broker for Pakistan's nuclear arms
programme.

The Age said an Australian Federal Police taskforce was now investigating
payments made by one of the companies amounting to millions of dollars in
commissions to foreign middlemen used to help win currency printing deals in
Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Former business associates of the Malaysian businessman told the newspaper
that he had claimed to have high-level connections in Malaysia that he could
use to help strike deals for foreign companies.

The Australian companies had won currency printing contracts in Malaysia in
1998 and 2004 for the Australian-made polymer banknotes.

Malaysia introduced commemorative RM50 polymer banknotes in 1998 when it
hosted the 16th Commonwealth Games and RM5 polymer banknotes in 2004.
-- BERNAMA