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When news broke  that prominent politician Osu Sukam had racked up M$28 million ($57 million) in gambling debts at a London casino, it prompted little attention.

What did shock Malaysians on Monday was the revelation by the Ritz Hotel casino that the former Sabah state chief minister had somehow managed to actually pay M$21 million of his 2003 losses.

Suddenly everybody  wanted to know how Mr Osu could have paid such a huge debt on a chief minister's salary of M$20,000 per month.

Mr Osu, 52, a leading member of the ruling United Malays National Organisation or Umno, has come under severe pressure to resign from the party and Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has asked Mr Osu to explain himself - a move widely interpreted as a demand for his resignation.

Mr Osu's gambling debts became public after the casino filed a suit seeking the outstanding M$7 million. Casino officials told the court last week Mr Osu 'gambled on a daily basis' on his visits to London.

The court ruled that the casino cannot recover the gambling debts because gambling is against Malaysian morals and ethics. It is estimated Malaysian VIPs owe casinos M$25 million in gambling debts.

'Top government leaders must keep to the straight and narrow path of honesty and integrity and not succumb to corruption and abuses of power,' said opposition leader Lim Kit Siang.

Yet a former aide said Mr Osu had fallen victim to 'his good deed' in paying part of the debt, unlike most of his counterparts who simply flee back to Malaysia, safe in the knowledge that their home courts would never enforce payment of a gambling debt.

The government-controlled New Straits Times disagreed with the judgment. 'If anything it will only promote irresponsible behaviour among those who visit casinos,' it said. 'Anyone who walks into a casino must bear some responsibility for his action.'



Ex-minister may have gambled career away