Forget lawsuit, Najib must clarify if bank accounts exist, says former A-G

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak speaking to the media last night after a buka puasa event in Kuala Lumpur, saying he is still considering a filing a lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal. – The Malaysian Insider pic by Nazir Sufari, July 6, 2015.

Datuk Seri Najib Razak must immediately clarify whether he has personal accounts in a private bank following the expose by Wall Street Journal (WSJ) that RM2.6 billion was credited into accounts under his name, rather than thinking of suing the business daily, former attorney-general Tan Sri Abu Talib Othman said.

He said the allegation against the prime minister was very serious and the clarification was vital to protect the integrity of his office.

"The outcome of filing a legal suit against WSJ will take a long time. The immediate thing is for the prime minister to clear the air now if he has accounts in the bank," Abu Talib (pic, right) told The Malaysian Insider.

Najib said yesterday he would decide soon what action to take against WSJ on their report that 1Malaysia Development Bhd's (1MDB) funds had been channelled into his accounts at AmPrivate Bank in Kuala Lumpur between 2013 and 2015.

The prime minister told a press conference yesterday that he had consulted his lawyers over the "malicious claims" (dakwaan jahat).

"Referring to the wild allegations made against me that I had allegedly stolen US$700 million dollars from 1MDB and placed it in my personal accounts, I have referred to my lawyers and they will advise me on what further legal and other action I can take, within the country and overseas.

"InshaAllah, I will decide in a few days what further action I will take against the malicious allegations," he said at the Bandar Rinching Mosque in Semenyih yesterday.

However, his aides barred media personnel from asking any more questions on the matter after Najib had made his statement.

Abu Talib said interested parties would exploit and sensationalise the matter and this was not good for the prime minister and the country.

"Everybody is anxious to know whether the prime minister has accounts with the bank and it is not fair if he is under constant attack," he  said.

Abu Talib, who was A-G for 13 years until 1993, said he was also of the view that politicians should not go to court to file suits to clear their name.

Alternatively, the bank in question could also clarify Najib's position after obtaining clearance from the authorities, he said.

  
"They need to confirm or deny. Why waste time for the task force to investigate instead of clarifying the issue first because the position of the prime minister is important," the former A-G said.

Last Friday, the WSJ alleged that up to US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) was transferred to Najib's personal bank accounts with AmPrivate Bank, just before the 13th general election.

Najib, however, responded that he had never taken any funds from 1MDB for personal gain and pinned the blame for the latest report on former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has in recent months called for Najib's resignation.

However, opposition politicians have taken Najib to task over his "ambiguous denial", while WSJ is standing by its story, saying its report was based on solid proof.

Attorney-General Tan Sr Abdul Gani Patail revealed in a statement on Saturday that a task force had raided three companies linked to funds allegedly channelled to Najib's personal bank accounts and that he has received investigation papers on the matter.

Gani said he had gone through the documents and gave further advice and directives to the task force consisting of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), police and Bank Negara Malaysia.

Gani said the task force officials raided SRC International Sdn Bhd, Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd and Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd offices on Friday and obtained more document

- TMI