Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Funds transferred to Najib’s accounts from donors, says anti-graft agency

KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian authorities yesterday confirmed for the first time that RM2.6 billion (S$929 million), or US$700 million, had been deposited into Prime Minister Najib Razak’s accounts, but said the funds had come from donors, not the troubled state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), as previously alleged.

Ambiga Sreenevasan questioned the source of the RM2.6 billion in donations into Datuk Seri Njib Razak's personal bank accounts. Photo: The Malay Mail Online

Ambiga Sreenevasan questioned the source of the RM2.6 billion in donations into Datuk Seri Njib Razak's personal bank accounts. Photo: The Malay Mail Online

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian authorities yesterday confirmed for the first time that RM2.6 billion (S$929 million), or US$700 million, had been deposited into Prime Minister Najib Razak’s accounts, but said the funds had come from donors, not the troubled state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), as previously alleged.

The findings, made by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), immediately sparked a chorus of condemnation from opposition politicians.

“The result of the investigation found that the fund totalling RM2.6 billion allegedly deposited into the accounts of Prime Minister Najib Razak was a contribution from donors, not from 1MDB,” the MACC said in a statement yesterday.

However, the commission did not disclose the identities of the donors or the purpose of the contribution, as well as how the money was spent.

The MACC, along with the police, Bank Negara and the Attorney-General’s Chambers, is part of a special task force set up to investigate allegations made by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) last month.

The WSJ report, citing documents from Malaysian investigators currently scrutinising 1MDB’s financials, claimed that a money trail showed that US$700 million was moved among government agencies, banks and companies before ending up in Mr Najib’s accounts.

Mr Najib has repeatedly denied taking funds from 1MDB or any other public entity for personal gain.

Following the release of the MACC’s findings, some opposition politicians immediately cried foul.

“The dignity and professionalism of the MACC is now dead and beyond cure after their statement,” Ms Teo Nie Ching, assistant national publicity secretary of the Democratic Action Party, said in a statement yesterday.

“Everyone can donate any sum of money to the politicians he/she likes. However, if RM2.6 billion in Najib’s private accounts is purely because of his political struggles and beliefs, then I must congratulate Najib as he is ready to contest as the president of USA,” she added.

In a similar vein, Mr Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, deputy president of Parti Islam Se-Malaysia, asked to know who was generous enough to donate RM2.6 billion to Mr Najib, and whether there were any strings attached to the donation.

“Is this a donation or a bribe to get something specific? Has the MACC not looked at this? What are the conditions of this RM2.6 billion donation? Are we to imagine that a donation this big was made without conditions to the Prime Minister?” he asked in a statement.

Earlier yesterday, Mr Rafizi Ramli, secretary-general of the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat, warned that the ruling coalition Barisan Nasional (BN) would declare that the RM2.6 billion were personal donations. He said the so-called proof would be part of a “script” by BN’s new communications team to convince the public that there was nothing corrupt about the funds going into Mr Najib’s bank accounts and that the money did not originate from 1MDB.

Activists also questioned the MACC’s statement, urging the authorities to reveal the source of the RM2.6 billion “donation”.

Prominent lawyer Ambiga Sreenevasan said that if the donations had come from a foreign source, it would most likely be in breach of several laws, including those covering money laundering.

“RM2.6 billion has many zeros. In my view, the statement by the MACC still causes me concern, as it means that whoever donated such large sums is likely to expect benefit,” said the former Bar Council president. “Whoever donated such large sums would have an agenda. What is that agenda?”

The MACC’s statement comes after it said last week that no draft charge documents had been prepared against Mr Najib, as alleged by whistleblower site Sarawak Report.

Pictures of the purported draft charge documents were published last week by Sarawak Report, which claimed to have obtained a copy of corruption charges against Mr Najib that were in the final stages of being drafted by Mr Abdul Gani Patail before he was replaced as Attorney-General, as well as one other person connected to the 1MDB controversy. AGENCIES

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.