Come clean on SRC credit cards claims, Najib told

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has been urged to "come clean" on the allegations that he used credit cards registered under Finance Ministry-owned SRC International during his trip to Europe in August 2014.

The call comes from DAP publicity secretary Tony Pua following fresh allegations made by whistleblower site Sarawak Report.

"It is imperative for the prime minister to immediately clarify the above transactions to show that he had ‘never used public funds for personal gains’," he said in a statement today.

If Najib does not do so, it will further ruin his "already tainted" reputation, Pua warned.

SRC, a former subsidiary of the scandal-hit 1MDB, is already being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for the RM42 million transferred into Najib's private bank account.

Until now, the prime minister has yet to provide any explanation regarding the RM42 million, Pua lamented.

SRC has earlier taken a RM4 billion loan from the Retirement Fund Inc (KWAP) but the company claimed no money was misappropriated.

With the allegations of RM3 million drawn from the credit cards, Pua noted the irony of Najib advising his ministers to spend the allocations of their respective ministries prudently in the wake of the uncertain global economy.

"Prudence and good governance must start from the top. Najib must prove that he practices the exact same principles of prudence and accountability before he can expect any of his ministers to follow suit," Pua said.

Sarawak Report had claimed that the two credit cards involved were a Visa card issued by CIMB, on which RM449,000 was spent, and a MasterCard issued by Maybank, on which RM2.8 million was spent in the course of the month of August in 2014.

It also provided the respective credit card numbers.

When Malaysiakini conducted an online search, it was discovered that the BIN number 528943 cited for the "Maybank MasterCard" was a platinum MasterCard issued by Ambank.

As for the Visa card with the BIN number 458581, the check revealed it is a Visa platinum card but there were no details on the bank which issued it.

Attacks ‘a smokescreen’

Sarawak Report later issued a clarification, which read: "SR thanks our eagle eyed readers for spotting an error on our original information about the card issuers, whom they have correctly identified as SRC's usual AmBank.

"We have re-checked with our source on this particular detail and they have acknowledged crossed lines in the communication.

"We trust that readers will note that the exception proves the rule regarding the information we have provided and that we are happy to acknowledge mistakes when they inevitably occur when information is made hard to access."

MACC has been investigating the transfer of RM42 million from SRC into the prime minister's personal account in Ambank in late 2014 and early 2015.

The Attorney-General’s Chambers has this week returned the investigations papers to MACC seeking further clarification with regard to its findings.

On Monday, MACC denied a Sarawak Report article which claimed the commission recommended a total of 37 charges to be brought against the prime minister.

Najib has repeatedly denied abusing public funds for personal gain while the authorities claimed Sarawak Report editor Claire Rewcastle-Brown was part of a plot to topple the prime minister using stolen documents and fraudulent allegations.

However, Rewcastle-Brown described the attacks against her as a smokescreen to cover up the scandals. The government has also blocked access to the website.

Malaysiakini has emailed the Prime Minister's Office and SRC for response over the latest allegations.

Despite numerous attempts, attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali could not be reached for comment. -Mkini