Dr M joins calls to probe Zeti and family over links to 1MDB funds

 

Dr Mahathir Mohamad says he has no personal knowledge about the matter involving Zeti Akhtar Aziz and her family as Najib Razak was helming the top post then.

BATU PAHAT: Former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has joined calls for former Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz and her family to be probed over allegedly receiving 1MDB funds.

In a press conference here today, Mahathir maintained he had no knowledge about the matter as it would have taken place after his first stint as prime minister and when Najib Razak was helming the top post.

“This must be probed so we can determine whether it is true or not that Zeti was involved in this deceitful act,” said the Pejuang chairman.

He joins a long list of politicians and activists who have called for Zeti and her family to be probed, especially after it was confirmed that RM65 million of 1MDB-linked funds were held by a company belonging to her husband Tawfiq Ayman.

Former banker Tim Leissner told a US court recently that BNM approved an “overnight” foreign exchange transfer of US$1 billion from 1MDB to PetroSaudi International (PSI) after Zeti’s husband had allegedly been bribed to “make it happen”.

Tawfiq has denied Leissner’s allegations.

Meanwhile, in response to Leissner’s testimony, BNM said all investments abroad by resident entities are subject to the requirements under the Exchange Control Act 1953 that was in force prior to 2013.

The central bank said all submissions made by 1MDB, including the said application, were subject to the same approval criteria and internal governance process that apply to any submission by other entities to BNM.

Zeti was the BNM governor at the time the alleged overnight transaction was made. -FMT