Pejuang challenges Najib to name those involved in 1MDB cover-up

 

Pejuang information chief Rafique Rashid said former prime minister Najib Razak, having expressed regret over the 1MDB scandal, must now be transparent about the key players who helped conceal the multi-billion ringgit scandal.

PETALING JAYA: 

Pejuang has called on former prime minister Najib Razak to name everyone involved in covering up the 1MDB scandal, including government officials, enforcement bodies and government-linked companies (GLCs).

In a statement today, the party’s information chief Rafique Rashid, said Najib, having expressed regret over the scandal, must now be transparent about the key players who helped conceal the multi-billion ringgit scandal involving the sovereign wealth fund.

“He must name all accomplices, be they officials from government, enforcement bodies, the prosecution, or those in GLCs who played a role in covering up the 1MDB scandal,” Rafique said.

He said those who claimed to have met Arab royalty or known about the alleged donation from Saudi Arabia must also be named for being complicit in the affair, regardless of their rank or status.

In a statement read by his son Nizar outside the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex today, Najib apologised to Malaysians for the 1MDB fiasco which led to his incarceration.

He denied being the mastermind or collaborating with fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, in the scheme.

‘Mere lip service’

However, Rafique said Pejuang was not convinced by Najib’s apology, questioning whether it was a genuine act of remorse or an attempt to gain leniency.

“Forgiveness is noble, but Najib’s apology seems like mere lip service, possibly in the hope of securing house arrest privileges, as hinted in the recent budget speech,” he added.

He said key actions taken during Najib’s administration undermined investigations into the 1MDB scandal.

These included the disbanding of the special task force investigating 1MDB, the appointment of a new attorney-general, and the prosecution of Khairuddin Abu Hassan and Matthias Chang under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 (Sosma) for pushing for international investigations into the scandal.

“Isn’t it true that under Najib, the special task force, which included the attorney-general, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and police, was disbanded without any clear reason?

“And wasn’t it under Najib that Umno figures like Mukhriz Mahathir, Muhyiddin Yassin and Shafie Apdal were ousted for questioning on 1MDB?”

Rafique also criticised Najib for using his powers as prime minister to “whitewash” the allegations against him, only for the courts to later find him guilty of corruption.

“Najib needs to answer all these questions. If he doesn’t, the public has every right to believe that his apology is merely a strategy to obtain a more comfortable form of detention,” he said.

Najib has been slapped with a total of 42 charges in several trials linked to 1MDB and is currently serving a reduced six-year sentence following a pardon, after he was convicted of misappropriating RM42 million in funds belonging to SRC International. - FMT