While the government said that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) investigation report showed that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak did not commit any corrupt practices in the SRC International case, an MACC senior officer declined to confirm it.
“I don’t want to comment on that matter,” MACC investigation director Azam Baki curtly told a press conference in MACC headquarters in Putrajaya this morning.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Azalina Othman, in a parliamentary reply last week, had revealed that the MACC probe proved Najib was not involved in corruption in the SRC case.
“In the case of SRC International, MACC had said that their probe report did not show prime minister had committed any corrupt practice.”
Attorney-general Apandi Mohd Ali had cleared Najib of any wrongdoing over the RM2.6 billion donation and SRC cases in late January.
‘We will probe fairly’
On Pakatan Harapan leaders urging the MACC not to forget Najib while probing Penang chief minister Lim Guan Eng’s purchase of a bungalow, Azan said MACC will treat every case fairly.
“As an investigation body, MACC will probe any corruption cases fairly.”
Yesterday, Penang MACC said it had received a complaint over Guan Eng’s purchase of the bungalow and the commission promised a fair investigation.
This followed allegations the day before from Tasek Gelugor MP Shabudin Yahaya in the Dewan Rakyat, who claimed that the house was purchased on Oct 25 last year for RM2.8 million, which was supposedly well below the market price of RM6 million to RM6.5 million.
Guan Eng, who is also the DAP secretary-general, has denied wrongdoing, saying that the purchase was ‘an arm's length transaction’ on a willing-buyer and willing-seller basis.
Meanwhile, Azan announced that the anti-graft body had busted a syndicate which allegedly abused public fund under a ministry, which involved RM 100 million.
He said to date, nine people - including a senior division secretary - had been detained since yesterday.
“The modus operandi of the syndicate is to order a ministry agency’s finance department to pay no fewer than 14 companies - operated by syndicate members.
“The payment is for existing activities but the job has never been done.”
The senior division secretary, Azan said, played a role to ensure the payment was promptly done, despite there being no payment request by the companies.
Kickback amounting to RM20 million
He estimated that the secretary was given a kickback amounting to RM20 million.
The kickback was shown to the media, involving multiple branded handbags, luxury clothes and watches, jewellery, cars and a painting.
These included pricey handbag and watches worth RM400,000.
“Besides that, the secretary frequently travels overseas on first class with his family,” said Azan, adding that the case was probed under the MACC Act 2009 and Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
He said the probe will focus on how the secretary could live such a luxurious life. -Mkini
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