Najib calls out Kit Siang over selective attack on MACC

 

Najib Razak has asked Lim Kit Siang why he did not speak up on other more important and controversial issues related to corruption in the past, despite claiming to be an anti-corruption crusader.

PETALING JAYA: The criticisms hurled by DAP stalwart Lim Kit Siang against the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) for the past five days over allegations of share ownership by its chief commissioner Azam Baki has attracted the attention of former prime minister Najib Razak.

In a Facebook post, Najib said while he acknowledged that Azam needs to respond to the allegations, he questioned Lim’s silence on other corruption related issues that he believed were far more important and controversial.

“For example, in October last year, the witness for his son’s (Lim Guan Eng) corruption trial, the tycoon of a listed company, fell from his apartment one month before he was scheduled to testify in court. Uncle (Kit Siang) was silent.

“Back in November, MACC said that an estimated RM65 million (from an amount believed to be RM700 million) was paid by Jho Low into the accounts owned by the husband of former Bank Negara governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz and was returned to the authorities from Singapore. Uncle was silent.”

Najib said former attorney-general Tommy Thomas had said that he was aware of the role allegedly played by Zeti and her husband (Tawfiq Ayman) in “facilitating” Jho Low, and yet no action was taken.

“Once again, Uncle was silent although he was the one who allegedly promised Tommy that he would be made the attorney-general if Pakatan Harapan won GE14,” he said.

Najib also questioned Lim’s silence on a leaked 14-page document, believed to be a classified MACC investigation report. The report stated that an ex-minister, who was allegedly involved with SRC International, had received and hid RM85 million of 1MDB-related funds in a proxy account in Singapore.

“So we need to ask why Kit Siang, who claims to be a champion of transparency and anti-corruption, did not speak up on these matters that are far more important and controversial.”

In November last year, FMT reported that the anti-graft agency recovered at least RM65 million in 1MDB-linked funds from the accounts of Singapore-based Cutting Edge Industries Ltd, which belongs to Tawfiq and one Samuel Goh.

In the same month, FMT reported that Thomas said he was aware of the role allegedly played by Zeti and her husband in “facilitating” fugitive businessman Jho Low, but that he did not take any action as MACC had not completed its probe then.

Last month, allegations of stock ownership by Azam were raised by several Pakatan Harapan MPs. - FMT