Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has urged that no assumptions be made in regard to the US Department of Justice's (DOJ) crackdown on siphoning of funds from 1MDB.
"It's not wise for us to make assumptions until the (legal) process is completed," Najib said in a video recorded by the Malay Mail Online today.
Met at Felda's Aidilfitri open house in Kuala Lumpur, he stressed that the DOJ's suits were civil and not criminal, and that those named in the case, including his step son Riza Aziz, would have their day in court.
"He (Riza) has his rights, allow the process to take place... those people involved will have their say through the court process in the US."
The DOJ suit claimed that more than US$3.5 billion of 1MDB funds had been misappropriated.
The US authorities are now seeking to confiscate more than US$1 billion in assets acquired using the illicit funds.
Among those who benefited from the misappropriated funds was an unnamed public officer dubbed "Malaysian Official 1", who is said to be a "high-ranking official in the Malaysian government who also held a position of authority with 1MDB".
Questions about whether or not Najib was the "Malaysian Official 1" cited in the DOJ suits went unheard.
Asked if he was shocked about the figure allegedly siphoned, Najib responded by telling the reporters to "hold on".
"We have to establish the facts, and this is civil action, it's not criminal action," he added.
He also said that the government would cooperate with international law enforcement and was committed to good governance. - Mkini
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