Nexter secures bulk of work in new French military vehicle order

PARIS — The French procurement office awarded contracts to Nexter, Renault Trucks Defense and Thales on April 21 to build a first batch of 319 Griffon troop transport and 20 Jaguar combat vehicles.

The award follows the development of the Jaguar and Griffon vehicles ordered in December 2014. The Direction Générale de l’Armement spokesman declined to give a value for the contracts, which included logistical support and training. The aim is for first delivery of the Griffon to come in 2018 and of the Jaguar in 2020, the DGA said. 

The Griffon is a six-wheel drive multi-role armored vehicle (known locally as véhicule blindé multirole), and the Jaguar is a six-wheel drive armored reconnaissance and combat vehicle (known here as engin blindé de reconnaissance et de combat). 

The launch order for the Griffon and Jaguar confirmed vehicle production just a couple of days before voters on April 23 cast their first-round ballots in the presidential election, with the second and decisive round on May 7. 

An order for a second batch will depend on the next administration and whether the future defense budget will fund a higher production sought by industry and the French Army. 

“A crucial stage in the Scorpion program, the awarding of this conditional tranche will thus launch the production of these new vehicles after only 27 months of development,” Nexter, RTD and Thales said April 24 in a joint statement. 

An estimated unit price of a Griffon is about €2.2 million to €2.3 million (U.S. $2.4 million to U.S. $2.5 million), depending on the arms and equipment fitted, while the unit price of the Jaguar is €4.5 million to €5 million, an industry executive said.  


That estimated price of the Griffon sounded too high compared to the €1 million price target, while the price of the Jaguar “did not sound ridiculous,” a second executive said. Work on the Scorpion program is split 45 percent for Nexter, 32 percent for RTD and 23 percent for Thales. 

Besides the three partners in the temporary business group, Safran will supply opto-electronics, and the Jaguar will be armed with a 40mm cannon from CTA International — a joint venture between Nexter and BAE Systems — and MBDA medium-range missiles, the DGA said.

The French Army’s order under the Scorpion initiative strengthens Nexter’s order book, which helps the French firm in the KMW and Nexter Defense Systems joint venture, otherwise known as KNDS, with German partner Krauss-Maffei Wegmann, the executive said.

Senior figures from Parliament, industry and the Army have lobbied for a faster and fuller delivery to cut reliance on a mixed fleet of old and new vehicles. 

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Jean-Pierre Bosser told lawmakers in October that he preferred funds be spent on a quicker delivery of the Scorpion vehicles rather than spending money to upkeep the existing véhicule avant blindé, otherwise known as the armored vanguard vehicle — an armored personnel carrier and support vehicle.

The Scorpion budget is based on €6 billion over 11 years, with an initial €1 billion from the present 2014-2019 military budget law, and the Army and industry are lobbying hard to find the balance in the next multiyear spending. 

Besides Griffon and Jaguar vehicles, the Scorpion program includes a light, multi-role vehicle, upgrade of Leclerc tank, battle management system, crew training with on-board 3-D simulation, and maintenance. The program marks the Army’s attempt to ring fence a share of government spending by using the Scorpion brand name. 

A total of 1,722 Griffons are due to be ordered, with a planned total of 248 Jaguars. 

A tender is due this year for a four-wheel, 10-ton multi-role light armored vehicle, with an order for 358 units. The first vehicle is expected in 2021 and will replace the present light armored scout vehicle, known here as Véhicule Blindé Léger.

France orders Griffons and Jaguars
News Nathan Gain 22nd April 2017

The French DGA Procurement Agency yesterday ordered a first tranche of 319 Griffons and 20 Jaguars from the Nexter-Renault Trucks Defense-Thales trio in charge of the Scorpion programme to modernise the major equipment of the French Army.

A first batch of 319 Griffons (left) and 20 Jaguars (right) was ordered on April 21 by the DGA (Credit: Nexter-RTD-Thales)

“During the development phase, the Griffon-Jaguar workload plan represents close to 1,000 highly skilled direct jobs; there will be more than 1,700 direct jobs when full production is launched in 2020,” the Defence Ministry said in an official statement. This first order also includes the associated logistical support and training systems. Delivery of the first vehicles is expected in 2018 for the Griffon and in 2020 for the Jaguar.

Launched in 2014 by Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, the Scorpion programme aims to replace a whole generation of vehicles now at the end of the line after 40 years of good and loyal services. Both the VAB family, to be replaced by the Griffon, and the AMX-10RC and ERC-90 Sagaie, are seeing their availability rate decline year after year, while the costs of maintaining them in operational condition are exploding. A situation the Army would like to remedy by accelerating the rate of deliveries of the Griffons and Jaguars, said General Jean-Pierre Bosser, Chief of Staff of the Army, on October 19, 2016.

A rise in pace that French industry has said it can meet because even if the stages of qualification and ramp-up cannot be neglected, “we can double the speed of production from 2020 or 2021 so that what was to be delivered by 2033 is actually available from 2026,” declared Nexter President and CEO Stéphane Mayer in November 2016 to the French parliament. Nevertheless, a decision will have to await both the result of the French presidential election and the arrival of a new tenant at the Hotel de Brienne [defence ministry].

The VBMR Griffon (Photo credit: Ministry of Defence)

The Griffon multi-role armoured vehicles (VBMR), of which 1,668 should be ordered, is a 6 × 6 25-tonne vehicle equipped with a remote controlled turret armed with a 7.62mm or 12.7mm machine gun. In addition to troop transport, PC, artillery and medical evacuation versions, the Army is studying the acquisition of about 50 Griffons in a MEPAC (Embedded Mortar for Contact Support) version, equipped with the 120mm R2M2 mortar developed by Thales and unveiled at Eurosatory 2016.

The Jaguar EBRC (Credit: MBDA)

The Jaguar, of which 248 should be ordered by the Army, is a reconnaissance and combat armoured reconnaissance vehicle (EBRC) also in the 25-tonne class. It will be equipped with the 40mm 40 CTAS gun designed by Nexter in cooperation with BAE Systems, with two pods to accommodate the MBDA MMP anti-tank missile, and a 7.62mm machine-gun mounted on a remotely operated turret.

Security Tips for E-Commerce Sites

It’s a big e-commerce world out there, and the benefits surely do outweigh the risks. For instance, it is now not only possible, but downright commonplace, to be able to shop and buy from a store across the country or around the globe. The fact is, people love using e-commerce sites. Consequently, business is booming. Unfortunately, so is cybercrime. The good news, though, is that there is much you can do to protect yourself. Read on for some important tips to keep the customers coming and keep them protected.



A Strong Platform and Host

Creating a safe shopping experience for your customers starts with choosing credit card processing and hosting companies who place a premium on safety and security. So, as you research the best merchant services companies for your business, opt for those that place an emphasis on safety and security. You, and your customers, will be glad you did.



Block Cybercrime from the Get-Go

Many credit card machines are encrypted, or have some ability to block access to your customers’ private information. But, there are always holes, and criminals will always eventually find them. That’s why we here at Merchant Account Solutions endorse systems that don’t allow gaps in their security. In particular, we recommend the SmartSwipe credit card reader by NetSecure Technologies. This state-of-the-art machine goes one step further than any of its competitors by encrypting credit card information the second a card is swiped.

Point of Sale Computer Systems

Enforce Strong Passwords

As a business owner, you can also require that customers create strong passwords to shop with you online. This can offer another layer of security to your customers and protect your business.



In the end, it’s important to attack cybercrime from all angles by shutting every door behind every door.

Gangster Toddler Xiao Pang Threatens A Truck Driver With A Knife For Blocking His Grandmother’s Stall!!!

The fearless young boy, Xiao Pang, receives spotlight again after a new video of him threatening to cut a truck’s tyre for blocking his grandmother’s street stall.

Previously, netizens were left touched by his actions when he defended his grandma’s stall from the local police but the same can’t be said about his actions this time as it is getting pretty worrisome!

This violent behaviour is being encouraged by his own family when violence clearly should not be the solution for everything. It’s a disturbing thought that lingers with this young boy’s actions.

The 5-year-old boy was spotted wearing a yellow vest and blue pants staring angrily at the female truck driver while he waved a fruit knife on the street of Xinjiang province.

The footage showed that Xiao Pang was threatening the lady by saying, “You can’t park here! If you park here, I will beat you up!”

Not only did his family ‘allow’ him to behave in such manner, even bystanders were just equally entertained by his actions as you can hear them laughing.

I’m positively sure that this isn’t the right way of handling things and though it’s great that this kid is brave enough to protect his family, behaving violently isn’t a good sign as it could lead to more life-threatening events in the future.



I honestly wouldn’t want to write or read about this boy in the next 10 years becoming a murderer or something.

What do you think about this?

Watch Out Sabahan Ladies!! There’s A Creep Caught Masturbating In Front Of Female Drivers In Mega Long Mall!!!

Damn! Just the other day a perv was caught on camera masturbating in front of a young lady in Klang and now another similar case rises in Sabah!
Ladies from all over the country, please be careful and always lock your doors as soon as you get into your car!

Qing WcLee shared a video of her getting harassed by this random guy yesterday. This tan skin man was standing beside her car and was seen jacking off before trying to run away the moment the victim started filming him.

It was reported that this incident took place at 4.52pm on the 3rd-floor car park of Mega Long Mall in Donggongon Penampang, Sabah. The victim stated that (luckily) as soon as she got inside her car, she habitually locked the doors and that’s when this guy suddenly approached her and masturbated facing towards her.

What’s worse is that she isn’t the only victim! When the post went up on another Facebook page, soon after other victims claimed the same thing happened to them! Apparently, the same thing had happened to Deena Dallius on the same floor, though she did not state which day did it happened, she just said that her incident took place at around 7pm. Another Facebook user by the name of Kitty White claimed that many others had fallen victim of this masturbating devil at the same place.

Some commenters on the post including Francisca Clement claimed that they know him as he seems to be very familiar and even put a name to the ‘mysterious’ masturbater’s face, Wahab. Another two commenters, Jirah Mahmud and Farah Hasyimah seem to also recognise the pervert but it unsure as the video and the captured image was quite blur.

Another guy said he knew this man and claimed that he could be found near the pubs at Bundusan Square. He claimed that this man is a lorry driver.

Let’s hope with this video proof of this sex maniac gets caught and punished as he deserves! Anyone who knows the culprit please report it to the police!

The Saudi Spring - This is why the Saudi King is returning perks to the people

Muslim countries, especially those that subscribe to Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabism, broadcasted and printed a piece of great news over the weekend. King Salman issued a royal decree restoring “all allowances, financial benefits, and bonuses” for civil servants and military personnel on Saturday. Saudi claimed it was due to a recovery in oil prices and internal changes.



Last September, in what appeared to be the energy-rich Saudi’s most drastic move to save money, ministers’ salaries were cut by 20% and perks for public sector employees were scaled back. It was indeed a desperate measure after the kingdom hiked petrol prices by more than 50%, not to mention price increases for electricity, water, sewage, diesel and kerosene.

Saudis Pumping Petrol at Station

When Saudi announced the cuts on September 28, the crude oil had already recovered from its low of US$28 a barrel in January 2016 – to around US$45 a barrel. When King Salman announced the cancellation of the salaries and perks cut over the weekend, the commodity price was at US$50 a barrel. Does it make sense for the country to make a U-turn after just a 5 bucks recovery?



King Salman took the opportunity to also install two of his sons to key posts. Prince Khaled bin Salman, an F-15 pilot who has trained in the United States, was made ambassador to Washington. Another son and long-time oil policy official, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman, was appointed state minister for energy affairs.

Prince Khaled bin Salman - Ambassador to Washington, U.S.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman - State Minister for Energy Affairs

What the mainstream media from Sunni Islam nations refused to tell you was the “April 21 movement” which hit the Twitter hashtag. The cuts, which affected about two-thirds of working Saudis, were so unpopular that the Saudis demanded for the reinstatement of their financial benefits since it took into effect in October last year.



The calls for protests in at least four Saudi cities have spooked the Al Saud monarchy of Saudi Arabia. Regime forces were reportedly lined the streets of central Riyadh over the weekend in anticipation of a demonstration by unhappy citizens. Saudis were upset that while the monarchy continues with its lavish public spending, the normal citizens were victimized.

Saudi Arabia - Public Sector Workers

Although Saudi Minister of state Mohammed Alsheikh said it was Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who recommended the change (cancellation of cuts in benefits and perks) after alleged better-than-expected budget figures in the first quarter of 2017, clearly the monarchy dared not take the risk and therefore caved in to the peoples’ demand.



The bonus cuts had caused widespread grumbling in Saudi Arabia. For two-thirds of employed citizens, the bonuses had accounted for a substantial amount of their total take-home pay. The public discontent could trigger a similar “Arab Spring” as the protestors were also calling for an end to Saudi’s absolute monarchy (disguised as constitutional monarchy) in the “April 21 movement”.

Protest Against Saudi Arabia Monarchy - April 21 Movement

Simon Henderson, Baker fellow at The Washington Institute and director of the Institute’s Gulf and Energy Policy Program said – “They adjusted things; they claim they are adjusting things because the economy is in a better position, but that’s nonsense. It sounds as though they felt it politically necessary to do something, which is economically risky.”



The unpopular cuts did not only affect the civil servants but also the military personnel. To pacify the powerful military forces, the monarch also ordered an additional two-month salary bonus for regime forces involved in a brutal and inhuman aggression against neighbouring Yemen. Salaries and allowances accounted for 45% (or US$128 billion) of government spending in 2015.

King Salman - The Saudi Spring

The panicked King Salman also made another U-turn when he told the kingdom’s central bank to instruct banks to maintain the current favourable terms of consumer and property loans to low-income Saudis, after having ordered their rescheduling in autumn to aid Saudis affected by the cuts. Another demand was for a halt to the sale of shares of state oil giant Aramco.



Saudi Arabia is in a mess, despite the slight recovery in oil prices. Although Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman tries to play down the problems, the kingdom is facing its worst economy growth since the world recession in 2008-09. New construction projects are scarce, and payments to builders got held up last year. Nowadays, even Saudi banks aren’t attractive to buyers.

Saudi Arabia - King Abdullah Financial District Riyadh

Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc has reportedly been seeking for years to sell its 40% stake in Alawwal Bank (formerly known as Saudi Hollandi), while Credit Agricole SA is considering a sale of its 31% stake in Banque Saudi Fransi. Alawwal Bank reported a 50% plunge in net income while Banque Saudi Fransi saw its profit down 13%.

SarawakReport : Najib's July 31st Election Deadline!

26 April 2017


All the signs are growing that Najib plans for a snap mid-year election and no wonder.
Yesterday’s ‘settlement’ with IPIC/Aabar was a total cave-in for Malaysia and it has left the Prime Minister horribly exposed with a very large bill indeed, due July 31st.

As DAP Finance Spokesman Tony Pua has pointed out, 1MDB surrendered on every point over its dispute with Aabar and the Abu Dhabi sovereign fund IPIC, agreeing to pay back the entire $1.2 billion bail out of June 2015, plus to take on all the remaining expenses on the two so-called ‘Power Purchase Bonds’ taken out by 1MDB in 2012, backed by a supposed guarantee from Aabar’s parent company IPIC.

IPIC spelt the terms out fully (and rather smugly) in its statement to the London Stock Exchange on Monday.  The first payment from 1MDB to IPIC is $602,725,000, due at the very latest July 31st,. The second is an identical payment due by the end of December, the IPIC statement confirms.

What IPIC did NOT do, as Jho Low’s spinners had desperately been trying to make out in advance, was to make referrence or give any credence to the claim that under the agreement Malaysia would be finding the money from 1MDB’s dodgy (i.e. non-existent) funds in its Brazen Sky account.

That ridiculous spin was left to 1MDB’s own cheeky little statement yesterday, which left out all the hard detail on the embarassing numbers but went long on claims that 1MDB would find the money to pay back IPIC by “primarily by the monetisation of 1MDB-owned investment fund units”.
“As per the settlement, 1MDB will, amongst others, make certain payments to IPIC and will assume responsibility for all future interest and principal payments for two bonds issued by 1MDB Group companies due in 2022.

These obligations will be met by 1MDB primarily via monetisation of 1MDB-owned investment fund units…” [short on figures, long on ridiculous spin – 1MDB statement]
Journalists had been told by ‘insiders’ (i.e. Jho Low) that these ‘units’ where the ones allegedly held in 1MDB’s Brazen Sky account, which was frozen when Singapore closed down BSI Bank over money laundering the proceeds of thefts from 1MDB – thefts which Najib Razak continues to refuse to acknowledge took place.

There has been no indication that the account has been released and all the evidence indicates it had nothing of value in it anyway.

Yet Najib tried to give the ‘monetisation of units’ spin further momentum by issuing a separate statement through the Prime Minister’s Office:

“The government is pleased that IPIC and 1MDB have resolved their differences in an amicable manner.

We also note the monetisation of all 1MDB-owned investment fund units.
These significant events represent the continued positive progress made by 1MDB which is nearing the completion of its rationalisation programme” [Statement by Tenku Sariffuddin, Press Secretary to the Prime Minister]

The deadly admission 

However, there is a deadly admission hidden in plain sight within this ‘settlement’, which Najib Razak has attempted to ignore, but which Tony Pua has spelt out in his reponse:
“1MDB’s concession to the settlement terms is a direct affirmation and confirmation that 1MDB have lost US$3.51 billion worth of payments which have purportedly been paid to IPIC and its subsidiary, Aabar Investments PJS.” [Tony Pua]

After all, the Prime Minister and 1MDB have continued, in the face of all the evidence, to claim that payments totalling $3.5 billion were paid to Aabar/IPIC as a ‘deposit’ to back the supposed guarantees of the Power Purchase loans.
IPIC have replied categorically that they never asked for such payments and never received them.

Last July a US Department of Justice investigation confirmed in a court deposition what everyone had long suspected, which was that the money was in fact paid to a series of bogus off-shore companies with names that made them sound as if they were subsidiaries of Aabar. In particular, Aabar Investments PJS Limited in the BVI, incorporated by the CEO of Aabar and it Chairman, but separate entirely from the Abu Dhabi group.

The DOJ provided a comprehensive money trail, showing how the money went from 1MDB into the fake BVI Aabar account, then on to a company owned by Jho Low called Blackstone Asia. Jho Low then used Blackstone Asia to pay huge kickbacks to the then Chairman and CEO of Aabar for performing that little favour (both those men are now in jail in Abu Dhabi) and divested the rest of the money on a massive spending spree, which included sending US$30 million directly to Najib’s account.

Yet Najib and his 1MDB CEO, Arul Kanda, have simply continued to deny this fact to the Malaysian public. They have claimed throughout this dispute that the money did indeed go to IPIC, which was why they were arguing that IPIC ought to have used it to bail out its debts.
After all, if the US$3.5 billion ‘deposit’ had been paid, why would 1MDB not expect IPIC to make that US$1.2 billion bail out from the money set aside for the purpose?  There can be no doubt that if the money had actually been paid, 1MDB would have won that London arbitration battle hands down.

The fact that 1MDB has plainly been unable to satisfy the court proves the money wasn’t paid and Najib is lying.  Tony Pua has totted up all the payments the Finance Minister still claims 1MDB made to IPIC, as laid before MPs in the Public Accounts Committee last year:
The money 1MDB still alleges it paid to IPIC totals $3.5 billion and yet yesterday's settlement is an admission that IPIC never received it.

The money 1MDB still alleges it paid to IPIC totals $3.51 billion and yet yesterday’s settlement is an admission that IPIC never received it.
Bets are on for a July election!

Which is why many are now laying bets on the likelihood that Najib is going to cut his losses and go for an election BEFORE he has to come up with that hefty US$602 million payment owed to IPIC on July 31st!

The reason being that there is no money to be made from selling 1MDB’s fictional ‘units’ and so in the end that cash is going to have to be raised direct from the taxpayer through his Ministry of Finance, which is ultimately responsible for meeting the commitment.
Once that happens then all the lies and nonsence will be once and for all exposed – and Malaysian’s will be faced with the realisation that Najib will probably have to raise taxes to pay for it all.
Better that comes out in the wake of a hoped-for election win, Najib is reasoning, rather than any time in the run-up to a vote that has to be held latest next year!
“Ministry of Finance doesn’t even itself have that money at the moment, which is why they are buying time. They will have to find it and it will involve bumping up GST or some similar manoeuvre”

One insider has told Sarawak Report.

So, if electioneering has started showing signs around where you live, you have the answer why.  The party will be on you the voter and you the taxpayer!

‘IF YOU GIVE ME A SMALL SUM OF YOUR MONEY, I WILL GIVE YOU IMMEASURABLE WEALTH’: WHO IS THIS JOHNSON LEE – GENIUS OR GENIUS THIEF?

I don’t have the great wisdom of this 28-year-old young man, so I won’t hang up the JJPTR sign to lead the world to instant wealth and help shed the ill fates of millions of ordinary men.
With my semi-blunt brain, I hope to bring on JYPTR (Jiao Yu Pu Tong Ren 教育普通人), or “Educating the Ordinary Men” in hope of instilling in people some common sense in tackling life.

First and foremost, get-rich-quick theory is non-existent anywhere under the sun, not with Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Jack Ma, Li Ka-shing, nor Robert Kuok. None of them has made their millions by way of any get-rich scheme.

If you care to find out, even those relatively well off friends around you have no fast track formulas to their wealth.

According to JYPTR teaching, there are many rich men and women in this world, while many others are on their way to achieve this end. But, this journey is invariably long-winding and tough, and you need to plod on with determination and wisdom before you earn your wealth, often after surviving countless of setbacks and failures.

Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos can tell you his success has stemmed from the much longer time he has put in vis-à-vis his competitors. While his competitors are only willing to invest for three years, he is prepared to do it for seven, and claims the ultimate triumph.

As an ordinary man, if you think you can strike it rich in a year or a month, you must be daydreaming!

Because you believe in instant wealth, you have helped create this young millionaire, or another crook calling himself “the world’s future richest man”.

Secondly, there is actual production value behind every success story. We have Apple products behind Steve Job’s success; Warren Buffett is rich because of his exceptional acumen in investing in high-value companies; Jack Ma has made it because of digital economy while Wang Jianlin creates his wealth through countless of highrise towers he has built.

But, the young man has told the investing public in Malaysia, if you join my program, give me a small sum of money and sponsor more people to join as downlines, I’ll promise you immeasurable wealth.



He nevertheless has not told you how your money will be used for investment so as to give you interests many many times higher than what commercial banks will ever offer.

JYPTR tells us the truth: this guy knows nothing about investment, and may not even have invested the RM1,000 you hand in to him with the promise of 20% monthly returns. You bring in two more to join next month, each investing RM1,000, and he will give you RM200, the remaining RM1,800 going right into his pocket.

Indeed you will see some initial returns, but as the fish get fewer in number, there isn’t cash any more to roll, and this whole thing will come tumbling down.

This kind of money game, they called Ponzi scheme, was first played a century ago elsewhere in this world, and you still believe it today?

Thirdly, no one is going to rescue the pu tong ren (ordinary men).

The young man told you, you have been working like a horse for 360 days a year and not getting any richer. I will come to your rescue.

He is not helping you, but you are, sadly, fattening him, making him a young multi-millionaire, or “the world’s future richest man”.

He will tell you his online forex market password has been hacked and RM500 million is now gone. He will then ask you to give him a little time to restructure and put things in proper order again.

Do you believe a young man without any financial background or forex dealing experience will know how to invest in forex markets and handle billions of fund?

JYPTR tells you that forex transactions in financial markets are the birthright of top-notched professionals. Lest we forget, during Mahathir’s time he instructed the central bank, with its well-seasoned financial top guns, to invest in foreign currencies, costing the country RM10 billion in financial losses.

But this young man will tell you he can help you make millions in forex markets. What a joke!

Your best bet to riches is your own hard work.

Fourthly, JYPTR is not kidding you. It will only help you pick up some common sense and sanity, and put in real effort to earn your every dollar. It is the unchanging doctrine that will never fool anyone.

– Mysinchew

A guaranteed 20% monthly return on the money will reel them in every time. – EPA pic, April 27, 2017.


SEVERAL years ago, a young man got on the internet to learn about foreign exchange and trading shares and investment.

Six months later, he started a binary option investment scheme, which failed miserably.

Undeterred, he decided to pick up a little risk management. So he got a job in a casino in the United States. Around the same time, he signed up for a course to learn more about forex and the stock exchange.

In 2014, he returned to Malaysia, a self-taught and “well-armed” young man with some ideas on investment schemes.


In 2015, he met a trader and the JJ Poor to Rich scheme was born. An  unlicensed forex trading scheme, JJPTR has drawn thousands of investors with the promise of a 20% monthly return, but is now in danger of collapsing like a stack of cards, leaving only a RM500 million hole and a host of questions, starting with, where is Johnson Lee?

This is his story. Or the story that he tells everyone anyway.

It’s not quite rags to riches but somewhere in between. It’s also hard to verify any of it because the man is nowhere to be found.

'Money back guarantee'

Since news broke that JJPTR is in trouble, the 28-year-old Johnson has been communicating with his investors through voice recordings on his Facebook page.

In his latest message, he pledges to return the money investors say they have lost.

“I can guarantee that I will repay the money. How long? It will be faster than the bank’s fixed deposit. This I dare guarantee. Every sen will be returned."

Lee then talks up a new investment plan and assures the investors he is getting professionals to find out who is causing problems for JJPTR and its investors. 

His voice rings with confidence – the same confidence he displayed at an investment seminar in Penang last year that had impressed Simon, an investor from the northern state.

“Johnson was finishing his talk when I walked in. I remember hearing him speak good English. Very smooth,” said Simon, who works in a factory. He recalled that Lee was born in the United States and could also speak Mandarin fluently.

The Malaysian Insight checks find out that Lee is single, lives in George Town, and has some 12,200 Facebook followers.

On his Facebook page, he introduces himself as “an investor and a marketer... But the most important is become a good boss to change people’s lives! (sic)”

There are pictures of him posing with others at the opening ceremonies of JJPTR branches. Some show him speaking at seminars.

On jjptr-global.blogspot.my‎, Lee supplies the information that he was born in California in 1989, and that he had not been able to get into a Malaysian university because he had failed Bahasa Malaysia, even though he had scored good results in Mathematics and Science.

As such, Lee's parents had sold their house in Malaysia to send him and his sister to study in the US. It is unclear if he completed his studies. 

It’s also a puzzle why thousands of Malaysians were willing to put their money in a scheme run by a young man with no finance or banking experience. Perhaps it was greed, for some. For others, it might have been an opportunity to make some spending money.

Breaking even against long odds

Simon, who is in his 30s, said he was not too worried, unlike other JJPTR investors who were now afraid they would not be getting their money back.

“I broke even earlier this year,” Simon said.

He said he invested US$1,000 (RM4,450) for which he received U$200 a month in returns as guaranteed.

In five months, he had got his capital back. 

“The method is like this: you buy at RM4.60 per dollar, and sell at RM4.20. So if I want to withdraw my investment now, I get RM4,200.

“But with the problem JJPTR is facing, I think they are paying the newer investors first. Those like me are not the priority since we have broken even,” he said.

Too good to last

The guarantee of a 20% return each month attracted many to the scheme, although there is no telling exactly how many and how much. 

Simon said he knew of couples who started with US$1,000 and topped up after getting their capital back in returns.

“I heard of husbands and wives whose combined investments are worth five figures now. They started investing right after JJPTR was launched in 2015 and they continued to top up.

“You can top up after you break even. But only up to four times. Maybe it is five times now. I can’t remember the terms and conditions offhand,” he said.

As may be imagined, the scheme spread best through word of mouth. Those enjoying regular returns invited relatives and friends to get on board.

Simon convinced three aunts, two uncles and a cousin to invest in the forex scheme.

But because they did not invest too much, said Simon, they were not overly worried by the news that JJPTR had imploded.

“(They invested) Just a few hundred dollars. But I know some people are worried. I have a colleague playing this money game and she looks worried. I think she put in quite a bit.”

The more, the merrier

Simon said investors earned a commission, a small percentage that he was unable to recall, when they recruited others to join the scheme.

He learnt about JJPTR from a factory manager last year. Many of those working in the factories were talking about it, he said.

“You usually learn about such things from people in your line of work. Many people working in factories have been worried about their jobs and the rising cost of living.

“The economy hasn’t been very good. Jobs are not as secure as before. Bonuses are cut, and salary increases are so little they are almost meaningless. 

“So when people hear of these schemes, they will invest.”

Johnson Lee was counting on the guarantee of a 20% montly return to reel them in.

He knew that many Malaysians would consider the initial investment of US$1,000 to be a relatively small sum and thus, low risk.


More importantly, he knew that most of the investors wouldn’t be concerned about his back story until it was too late. – April 27, 2017.

UNABLE TO BEAR THE GLARE OF HIS SON’S BAD PUBLICITY, JOHNSON LEE’S FATHER GOES ON LEAVE

JOHOR BAHRU – Lee Thean Chye, Southern University College acting administration chief cum head of the university’s Entrepreneurial, Incubation & Career Center, has taken a one-week leave from the university with effect from yesterday to facilitate the investigation into his alleged involvement in JJPTR scam.

Lee is the father of JJPTR’s founder Johnson Lee.

  

When contacted by Sin Chew Daily, SUC vice chairman Mok Chek Hou confirmed that Lee had applied for leave after speaking with SUC principal and president Dr Thock Kiah Wah yesterday afternoon.
Mok said, “Lee reported to work as usual yesterday, but decided to take a one-week leave after speaking with the principal in order to facilitate the investigation.
“The board of directors has instructed SUC authorities to investigate Lee’s alleged involvement in JJPTR and to discuss the investigation report on May 5.”
On whether Lee was reported to hold some 850,000 shares of JJ Global Network, Mok said, “It has been reported in the media and I don’t have to repeat it here.”


– Mysinchew