PMO: 1MDB committee to coordinate probe on scandal

The 1MDB committee established last week is tasked with coordinating investigations on the 1MDB scandal and advising the Council of Eminent Persons, said the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement today.

“The Committee on 1MDB which was recently formed by the Council of Eminent Persons is tasked with coordinating cross-sector investigation to ensure fair and just application of the law and to advise the council accordingly,” it said.

The PMO also confirmed that the 1MDB investigation task force announced yesterday will report directly to the committee and both the task force and the committee had met the Council of Eminent Persons yesterday.

The meeting was to update the council on their operational strategies.

“The primary focus will be to ensure that Malaysia is able to secure convictions on all the wrongdoings related to 1MDB and to maximize the recovery of all assets traceable to 1MDB,” the PMO said.

The Committee on 1MDB was announced by the Council of Eminent Persons on May 17 and is led by the former attorney-general Abu Talib Othman (above). Other members are:

• Nik Shahrizal Sulaiman - partner in risk assurance services, PricewaterhouseCoopers;
   
• Syed Naqiz Shahabuddin Syed Abdul Jabbar - senior partner, Naqiz & Partners;
   
• Faris Rabidin - senior advisor, Otoritas Jasa Keuangan Indonesia (the Indonesian financial services authority); and
   
• Cynthia Gabriel – founder, Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4).

However, the committee’s terms of reference were not specified at the time apart from “looking into matters” related to the 1MDB scandal.

Yesterday, the PMO also announced the establishment of the 1MDB investigation task force jointly led by former attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail, former MACC head Abu Kassim Mohamed, current MACC head Mohd Shukri Abdull and former police Special Branch head Abdul Hamid Bador.

Earlier today, the quartet had issued a statement saying that they have outlined three priorities following their first meeting today.

These are (1) asset recovery, (2) repatriation of all money and assets from illegal activities related to 1MDB and (3) criminal actions against those involved under the MACC Act, Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act and the Penal Code. -Mkini