PM: 1MDB task force scrutinising previous govt's deal with Goldman Sachs

 

The 1MDB Task Force led by former second finance minister Johari Abdul Ghani has started scrutinising the settlement agreement reached between Malaysia's previous administration and Goldman Sachs.

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim told reporters this afternoon that he agreed with Johari's view that the deal - which saw the financial institution paying only some US$2.5 billion (RM11 billion) to Malaysia should be re-evaluated.

"I agreed (with the move) because, since the very beginning, I feel that this deal was hastily made.

"This has raised many questions," he said.

Anwar, who spoke to reporters after a book launch event at Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in Kuala Lumpur, was giving the latest update on the task force, which was set up just last month.

Titiwangsa MP Johari Abdul Ghani

The prime minister said Malaysia should try its best to recover as much as it can from the 1MDB funds that have been lost and he pointed to the recent settlement deal with Abu Dhabi's International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC) and its unit Aabar Investments PJS, which have agreed to pay US$1.8 billion.

"Previously, they only agreed to pay a much smaller amount. But when we put our foot down, we managed to get US$1.8 billion, which is a huge difference (from the initial amount agreed).

"Some people might take it lightly when it comes to the issue of transparency and being firm, but this is actually about saving the rakyat's money," Anwar added.

Members of the task force

According to the prime minister, the members of the task force include representatives of the Attorney-General's Chambers and ministries, among others.

Anwar was also asked for his response to a call for the government to make public the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) secretariat’s report and the findings of the Institutional Reform Committee (IRC).

Both CEP and IRC were set up in 2018 during the Pakatan Harapan government under former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

DAP veteran Lim Kit Siang

To this, Anwar said the government holds to the principle that information should not be kept from the rakyat, but will have to discuss it first.

"This is new information, I will look into it. Because of our principle, as applied in the Sabah aircraft crash case, we believe that information should not be kept from the rakyat.

"The principle is there, but specifically in this case, I have to look into it together with the cabinet," he said.

Last month, Lim Kit Siang called for the CEP secretariat’s report and the findings of the IRC to be tabled as a White Paper before Parliament adjourned on April 4.

This comes after former CEP member Jomo Kwame Sundaram’s revelation that a secretariat under former finance minister Daim Zainuddin, and not the council, had produced a report. - Mkini