Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak has dismissed allegations of money laundering involving RM15 million against his former media advisor Paul Stadlen and Umno lawyer Hafarizam Harun, calling the claims politically motivated.
Najib told Malaysiakini that the RM15 million was meant as payment to a company formed by Stadlen for "several years of work".
He claimed government funds were not used for this payment.
"Paul's company wanted certainty of funds to pay him. Therefore, the funds for a certain agreement period were deposited with Hafarizam in a client trust account, (from) which Hafarizam would then pay Paul's company.
"That is why both Hafarizam and Paul have been charged with the same RM15 million amount as these are the same funds.
"Hafarizam was not paid RM15 million by me, but (the money was) kept in his firm's trust account," he said.
Hafarizam earlier today claimed trial to two charges of money laundering involving RM15 million.
He was charged with receiving the amount from Najib through cheques between April, 2014 and February, 2015.
Likewise, a case has been registered against Stadlen, believed to be related to the same funds.
Najib claimed the charges were conveniently timed to coincide with the Semenyih by-election.
He also said that he would prove in court that the source of the RM15 million was legitimate.
1MDB audit report
Meanwhile, Najib also took aim at the charge against him for allegedly ordering alterations to the National Audit Department's report on 1MDB.
He said that despite initial leaks saying he had ordered the "final report" to be changed, the actual charge against him was for ordering alterations to the "draft audit report."
He also rubbished reports that he ordered mention of fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho (better known as Jho Low) to be removed from the audit report.
"However, as I have pointed out, the government had answered before that in Parliament that Jho Low's involvement was on behalf of the Saudi Arabia partner," he said.
Malaysiakini had previously reported auditor-general Madinah Mohamad as saying that it was Najib's then private secretary Shukry Mohd Salleh who ordered the removal of references to Low attending a 1MDB board of directors meeting from the audit report.
Madinah also claimed Najib had ordered the deletion of paragraphs that contained two versions of 1MDB's 2014 financial statements, and which called for a probe by authorities. - Mkini
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