Withdraw police report against 1MDB, Ku Nan tells Penang Umno leader

Umno secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor says he will advise Batu Kawan Umno deputy chief Datuk Khairuddin Abu Hassan to withdraw the police report on 1MDB's alleged scandals. – The Malaysian Insider pic, December 13, 2014.Umno secretary-general Datuk Seri Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor today urged Batu Kawan division deputy chief Datuk Khairuddin Abu Hassan to retract his police report against government-owned fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Astro Awani reported Tengku Adnan as saying that Khairuddin's action was not the party's stand nor that of Penang Umno.

"This is the problem of Umno people who do not understand the struggles of the party. We cannot listen to just any story from websites, Internet or social media," he was quoted as saying.

"Let us not be taken in by these unwanted perceptions that come from the opposition. He made a police report, I cannot understand (it)."

He advised other Umno members to discuss and question within the party should they have any problems and not just listen to the opposition as it would only invite trouble.

"Why do we have to enter the opposition's trap of lies?" he asked.

Tengku Adnan, or Ku Nan as he is popularly known, said he planned to meet with Khairuddin to "advise" him to retract the police report he made yesterday.

The Federal Territories Minister said that he has contacted Penang Umno on the matter and was informed that the state party was discussing the issue to decide on their next move.

"I will look at what the state Umno will suggest... if he (Khairuddin) has violated party rules, then we will take action but he hasn't yet, so we will just wait and see what he will do next," he sad.

Ku Nan also defended the controversial 1MDB, saying the company had contributed a lot, although he did not say what those contributions were.

Besides, the fund was bound to make profits and losses, just like any other company, he was reported as saying.

In his police report, Khairuddin had called for a “detailed and comprehensive” investigation, urging authorities to interrogate 1MDB’s directors and representatives of any company that might be implicated in its scandals.

He said he lodged the report against the company and its board of directors after studying various reports in national and international print media and online media that “clearly proved” there were weaknesses in 1MDB’s management of taxpayers’ funds.

Khairuddin also said he would lodge another report against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who is also the finance minister, if no action was taken.

1MDB is Malaysia's second sovereign wealth fund after Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

The company, which is Najib's brainchild, had recently come under much scrutiny after several opposition leaders highlighted the fund's massive debts, dubious land deals and secrecy over its transactions.

Former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, also one of 1MDB's fiercest critics, asked Putrajaya to explain how 1MDB benefitted Malaysians, as it incurred a RM38 billion debt within just five years of its operations.

1MDB responded to the police report last night, saying it was confident the report had no legal basis.

"We welcome any investigation into our affairs and the opportunity to rebut malicious allegations,” it said in a statement.

- TMI