Salleh says pointless to dredge up old issues on 1MDB

Minister says old matters were settled when 1MDB’s rationalisation and debt reduction plans were approved by Cabinet in June this year.

PETALING JAYA: There is no need for Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) to dredge up issues regarding 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) that occurred from 2009-2011 when the company’s rationalisation and debt reduction plans were already approved by the Cabinet in June this year, said Salleh Said Keruak.

Taking to his blog, the minister of Communications and Multimedia was commenting on how issues pertaining to 1MDB had reached the “level of utter confusion” because too many individuals were making contradictory statements, many of which were based on mere “assumptions, rumours and hearsay.”

“The initial allegation was that RM42 billion had disappeared into thin air. Then this was changed to not enough transparency and no proper explanations.

“Now 1MDB and the Attorney-General have come out with their explanations and all these explanations are being rejected.”

The minister said the recent issue now being raised by BNM pertained to approvals given between 2009-2011, which they allege was given based on incomplete information at the time.

Salleh argued that even if that was the case, these issues were settled when 1MDB’s new management received the Cabinet’s approval for its rationalisation and debt reduction plans in June this year.

“This means events of 2009-2011 have been overtaken and superseded by the events in June 2015,” Salleh said, questioning the point in bringing it up now, so many years later.

“And is Bank Negara suggesting that the Cabinet is too ignorant to be entrusted with the job of deciding and giving approval?” he questioned.