Criminal acts do not constitute official secrets, says Dr M

Former PM calls on Apandi Ali to remove reports on 1MDB by Bank Negara, MACC and the auditor-general from the Official Secrets Act.

PETALING JAYA: Dr Mahathir Mohamad has called on Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali to prove his claim that there was no misappropriation of 1MDB funds.

The PPBM chairman said Malaysia had taken no action on the matter despite arrests made of people in other countries for alleged involvement in illegal transactions related to the government’s sovereign wealth fund.

“It is well-known that criminal acts in the government do not constitute official secrets,” the former prime minister said in his blog today.

“In fact, it is the duty of everyone in the government or outside the government to report such crimes.”

He said it was “absurd” for the federal government to insist there was nothing wrong with 1MDB when other countries were arresting people, closing banks and declaring that massive money laundering had taken place involving 1MDB money.

“If really there has been no wrongdoing, then the attorney-general must show proof that the money is all there, safe and sound,” he said.

He said Apandi should re-open police investigations on the “shenanigans involved in the management of 1MDB money” in the face of the allegations, reports, statements and worldwide condemnation.

He also called on Apandi to remove reports on the issue by Bank Negara, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and the auditor-general from the Official Secrets Act.

On Jan 26, 2016, Apandi had cleared Prime Minister Najib Razak of any offences pertaining to an alleged RM2.6 billion “donation” and another RM42 million from 1MDB subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd.

He said based on evidence from witnesses and supporting documents submitted to him by MACC, a sum of US$681 million (RM2.08 billion) was transferred into Najib’s personal accounts between March 22, 2013 and April 10, 2013, as a “personal donation” by the Saudi royal family.

Apandi also cleared Najib of claims that he had illegally received RM42 million from SRC International, saying there was “no evidence to show that the PM had abused his position during the cabinet meeting which approved the government guarantee on the RM4 billion loan to SRC from Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (KWAP)”.

Mahathir, who was prime minister from 1981 to 2003, said the media in other countries had reported on “stealing on a massive scale” in a report on the matter by the US Department of Justice.

He added that Apandi had not asked the police, MACC or any other relevant body to investigate 1MDB.

He said reports on the issue were instead put under the Official Secrets Act.

“Access to the reports is now denied to everyone, including government agencies and institutions,” he said. -FMT