UMNO LEADER SAYS NAJIB TOLD SUPREME COUNCIL HE NEVER TOOK 1MDB MONEY

(The Malaysian Insider) – Datuk Seri Najib Razak had explained to Umno Supreme Council members about allegations of billions of ringgit going into his personal accounts, newly-appointed deputy minister Datuk Ahmad Maslan said tonight.

He rejected claims made by former deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin in a leaked video clip that Najib had admitted to receiving US$700 million (RM2.67 billion) in his bank accounts.

Ahmad Maslan, who is also an Umno supreme council member, dismissed Muhyiddin’s claim and said Najib, who is prime minister and also Umno president, had already explained the matter.

“It’s not true, it was not channeled or otherwise,” he said when met after the Matrade Hari Raya open house tonight.
“The president had already given a briefing to Supreme Council members on the matter, that he had never used money from 1MDB nor put it in his accounts,” Ahmad Maslan added.

The allegation was reported on July 2 by The Wall Street Journal, which said it had sourced the information from documents from Malaysian investigators.

Najib has publicly denied taking money for personal gain but has not directly addressed the alleged fund transfers. The biggest portion of funds, which according to WSJ is US$681 million, had been transferred to his accounts at AmBank in Kuala Lumpur in March 2013, ahead of the general elections in May that year.

The leaked video of Muhyiddin speaking in his home where he received visitors and supporters after being sacked from the Cabinet, showed him recounting a confrontation he had with Najib, in which he said the prime minister admitted to having the money “from the Middle East” in his account.

Those accounts in AmBank have since been closed, while Najib has blamed former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, for conspiring with foreigners to bring down his administration.