Muhyiddin slams Puad, denies he lied about meeting with Zeti

Suspended Umno deputy president Muhyiddin Yassin has denied the claim by Umno supreme council member Mohd Puad Zarkashi that the former deputy prime minister lied about a meeting he had with Bank Negara Malaysia Governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz.

Citing Puad’s claim that was published in Berita Harian last week, Muhyiddin stressed that he did not lie about the meeting at which Zeti had purportedly told him about several matters related to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

“Zeti did not fully deny my statement. Puad assumed that I lied because he did not know what exactly happened,” he said in a statement posted on his Facebook page last night.

In an interview with Malaysiakini, Muhyiddin said Zeti told him that the US$1.103 billion, which 1MDB parked in Cayman Islands, did not go into BSI Bank.

However, Zeti said she could not recall if she told Muhyiddin about this as she had met him on numerous occasions when the latter was still a cabinet member.

The central bank governor also said she did not bring along documents related to 1MDB's US$1.103 billion when she met the former number two.

Meanwhile, Muhyiddin said it was normal practice for heads of government agencies to meet with him to inform about new developments on certain issues as he was the deputy prime minister then.

“In the meeting with Zeti (photo), I found out that Singapore’s monetary authority had submitted a report to Bank Negara over the money that did not go into BSI Bank and the report was also submitted to the auditor-general to be investigated.

“I also found out that many of 1MDB’s transactions had gone against the Financial Services Act 2013 and if found guilty, one could be fined RM50 million or sentenced to a 12-year jail term,” Muhyiddin said.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, added Muhyiddin, was also said to have tried to meddle with Bank Negara’s investigations.

“Zeti also told me that she was firm in continuing to investigate 1MDB, even though she faced pressure. As a competent central bank governor, I'm confident that she has done her job responsibly.

“I am confident that the rakyat will know the true picture of this case and that truth will prevail if a trial is conducted and all evidence presented in court,” he said.

Muhyiddin was sacked from his deputy prime minister’s post last year after he grew increasingly vocal against Najib’s handling of the 1MDB fiasco. He was then suspended from his post as Umno’s number two man last month. -Mkini