MACC denies keeping mum on unfreezing of Najib's account

The MACC has cleared the air regarding the freezing and subsequent unfreezing of the former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak's personal bank account. 

In a statement, the MACC Strategic Communications Department denied publicising the freezing of the account and keeping mum on the lifting of the freeze.

"Such an issue does not crop up, as the commission has never released any official statement regarding the freezing of the account, and only confirmed the withdrawal of the freeze when there was a query from the media. 

"The commission would also like to clarify that the lifting of the freeze was because the said account did not have any links to the probe into either SRC International or 1MDB (the RM2.6 billion).

"The withdrawal of the freeze was also not done due to pressure from any parties, but because the investigation into the account had been completed," the statement read.

Najib has previously complained that the move by the 1MDB taskforce to freeze his account, as well as that of his family members, was a "draconian" move.

The accounts are part of the 408 bank accounts of individuals, political parties and NGOs frozen by the taskforce on suspicion of having received funds amounting to RM1.1 billion from 1MDB.

However, the freeze on Najib's account, as well as those of his family members, has since been lifted. 

There were allegations, especially from Umno-linked figures, that the MACC deliberately played down the lifting of the freeze, given that since the initial freeze was widely reported.

In the statement, the MACC also clarified that Najib's other accounts – also linked in the SRC International and 1MDB – were never frozen.

Those accounts, the commission said, were already been closed before investigations had commenced in July 2015.

"The MACC would like to stress that to date, the probe on the RM2.6 billion fund (in Najib's account) is still ongoing." -Mkini