Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man says Malaysian agencies are being humiliated by legal action in the US as they face obstacles here in investigating alleged 1MDB improprieties.
PETALING JAYA: Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man wants Malaysia’s enforcement agencies to be given the freedom and mandate to investigate the 1MDB issue as they are more capable of delving into the company’s affairs than the US Department of Justice (DoJ).
The PAS deputy president said the country’s honour had received a “slap” in front of the whole world as its leadership and relevant agencies were seen to be doing nothing while the US agency pursued the high-profile case.
He said PAS was praying that the police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), Bank Negara Malaysia and the National Audit Department would be allowed to have the courage to expose the matter.
“Unfortunately, they are now undergoing humiliation after humiliation due to the DoJ action as they themselves are faced with obstacles that cannot be mentioned,” he said in a statement today.
“Enough of living in a state where your hands and feet are tied, while your eyes are kept wide open even as evil passes by and ears are forced to listen to orders to go after much smaller evils.”
He was commenting on the DoJ’s most recent legal action instituted in the US on Thursday to seize assets valued at US$540 million (RM2.3 billion) which were purchased using funds allegedly embezzled from 1MDB.
The assets include artworks and jewellery, as well as film rights to two comedies “Dumb and Dumber To” starring Jim Carrey and “Daddy’s Home” with Will Ferrell.
The related legal documents that have been made public seem to be in sequence to an earlier suit filed by the DoJ in July last year when the agency sought to seize assets amounting to more than US$1 billion (RM4.28 billion).
“Once again our national leadership’s honour, especially that of BN (Barisan Nasional) and the Malaysian authorities who are supposed to investigate the 1MDB issue, has received a slap from the DoJ in front of the whole world,” Tuan Ibrahim said.
“Why is it that the DoJ can investigate and expose the flow of funds related to 1MDB with such detail while investigations in our own country do not reveal a glimpse of any outcome?” he said in the first remark made by a PAS leader since the new suit was filed on Thursday.
He added that the country needed to be more efficient and willing to act on its own to resolve the issue so as to avoid US interference.
“While we delay our investigations, the space to interfere is left wide open,” he said.
Tuan Ibrahim also said even though the case was at the allegation stage, its fate depended on businessman Jho Low who was implicated.
“If the DoJ offers a way out for Jho Low on condition that he exposes who was behind him there is a big probability that he will take it, and when that happens everything will unravel,” he added. -FMT
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