Four police personnel appointed by the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) investigating Bank Negara's foreign exchange losses recorded a witness statement today from former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Mahathir later told reporters that the process included reviewing various documents that would be presented before the panel on Monday.
"It took a long time... almost three hours," he said when met at the Perdana Global Leadership Foundation office in Kuala Lumpur.
"There were some corrections, some additions.
"The police asked me some questions, so I have to read some letters and documents before I could answer them," Mahathir said, adding that he had to be prepared before facing the RCI panel.
Mahathir said he was also informed that future witnesses would include former finance minister Daim Zainuddin.
Asked who else should appear before the RCI, Mahathir jokingly replied that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak too should be a witness because he was a cabinet minister at the material time.
Meanwhile, Mahathir's lawyer Haniff Khatri Abdulla said that his team had proceeded to prepare an independent witness statement prior to the events today.
This was because the subpoena sent to his client on Tuesday was not accompanied with any indication that the RCI would send a team to record his statements.
"They (the police) went through the (prepared) statement and asked questions above and beyond it," said Haniff who hinted that some of the questions involved documents classified under the Official Secrets Act.
"What will appear on the RCI, whether it will incorporate the statement recorded by the police and the one we prepared, remains to be seen.
"Whether the statement will incorporate both parts or not, Tun will proceed to read the one he has prepared," Haniff said.
A total of 21 witnesses have testified before the RCI so far, with the last being former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who was deputy prime minister and finance minister at the material time.
With the exception of Anwar, who is serving a five-year prison term, the other witnesses came with prepared witness statements.
The RCI was set up in line with the Commissions of Enquiry Act and its members received the consent of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Sultan Muhammad V in July.
The forex scandal occurred during the late 1980s and early 1990s when Mahathir was prime minister. - Mkini
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