Malaysia PM cleared of graft – $681-million ‘gift’ came from Saudi royals
Malaysia’s anti-corruption investigators cleared Prime Minister Najib Razak of graft over a transfer of $681 million donated to his personal bank accounts, bringing the premier closer to ending his biggest crisis in nearly seven years in power.
The money transferred to Razak in early 2013 was from the Saudi Arabian royal family, Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali told reporters on January 26 in Putrajaya, Malaysia’s administrative capital, citing investigations by the anti-graft agency. Razak returned $620 million in August that year, he said.
“Based on the facts and evidence as a whole, I as the public prosecutor, am satisfied that no criminal offense has been committed,” Apandi said. “Today, I am here to clear the prime minister.” He added that he instructed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to close the investigation papers related to the case.
However, no reason was provided as to why the Saudi royal family would send Razak such a large sum of money and whether there is any connection to alleged irregularities at state-owned fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
And if everything was “correct,” it also does not explain why Razak’s government has moved aggressively to shut down leaks that led to the investigation. Last year, the police raided the offices of the anti-corruption commission, the license of a critical news organisation was suspended, and Razak himself purged his deputy prime minister, who had been pressing for further investigations.
Last July, Razak sacked the country’s previous attorney general, who had led the investigation into the scandal, for “health reasons” in a government reshuffle, and appointed a new one – exactly the attorney general who now cleared him from any wrongdoing.
Malaysian opposition politician thus suspect that the newly appointed attorney general is “merely covering up for the prime minister.”
Malaysia's anti-corruption investigators cleared Prime Minister Najib Razak of graft over a transfer of $681 million donated to his personal bank accounts, bringing the premier closer to ending his biggest crisis in nearly seven years in power. The money transferred to Razak in early 2013 was from the Saudi Arabian royal family, Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali told reporters on January 26 in Putrajaya, Malaysia's administrative capital, citing investigations by the anti-graft agency. Razak returned $620 million in August that year, he said. "Based on the facts and evidence as a whole, I as the public prosecutor, am satisfied that...
Malaysia’s anti-corruption investigators cleared Prime Minister Najib Razak of graft over a transfer of $681 million donated to his personal bank accounts, bringing the premier closer to ending his biggest crisis in nearly seven years in power.
The money transferred to Razak in early 2013 was from the Saudi Arabian royal family, Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali told reporters on January 26 in Putrajaya, Malaysia’s administrative capital, citing investigations by the anti-graft agency. Razak returned $620 million in August that year, he said.
“Based on the facts and evidence as a whole, I as the public prosecutor, am satisfied that no criminal offense has been committed,” Apandi said. “Today, I am here to clear the prime minister.” He added that he instructed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission to close the investigation papers related to the case.
However, no reason was provided as to why the Saudi royal family would send Razak such a large sum of money and whether there is any connection to alleged irregularities at state-owned fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
And if everything was “correct,” it also does not explain why Razak’s government has moved aggressively to shut down leaks that led to the investigation. Last year, the police raided the offices of the anti-corruption commission, the license of a critical news organisation was suspended, and Razak himself purged his deputy prime minister, who had been pressing for further investigations.
Last July, Razak sacked the country’s previous attorney general, who had led the investigation into the scandal, for “health reasons” in a government reshuffle, and appointed a new one – exactly the attorney general who now cleared him from any wrongdoing.
Malaysian opposition politician thus suspect that the newly appointed attorney general is “merely covering up for the prime minister.”
