Implicate Najib only if there is basis for it, says Hisham

Defence Minister says if there is misconduct, then let the law take care of it.

KUALA LUMPUR: Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein today has advised those who want to implicate Prime Minister Najib Razak in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy to have a good basis for their allegations.

He said this when asked by reporters outside Parliament lobby if Najib should be held responsible for the misappropriation of funds in the state-owned firm since he is also the Finance Minister.

“If you want to make him responsible, then there must be good basis for that. For me there are three to be considered.

“First is 1MDB’s debt has been reduced, so you have to look at the rationalisation plan.

“Second is accountability. If there is misconduct, let the law take care of it. We have to do things in a fair manner.

“Third, transparency is important as the public needs to know about this and if the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report today is not transparent enough, what else do these quarters want?” he asked.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister in Prime Minister’s Department Razali Ibrahim said it was not fair to make Najib the focal point of the issue as he was also involved in many other things.

He said matters related to Petronas, Khazanah, Tabung Haji and other GLCs were also under the prime minister’s responsibility.

“But people only see 1MDB and this is not right. The management should be responsible as the PM can only supervise or advise the company.

“To single out Najib is not fair because he is not involved in every transaction related to the company’s management and administration,” Razali told reporters.