Claims of FBI probe into 1MDB merely political fodder, says Zahid

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi says in Washington not a single American official has raised the issue of 1MDB. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, October 10, 2015.

American investigators have never raised the issue of their supposed probe into 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said in Washington DC, the New Straits Times reported.

Zahid, who is on a working visit to the United States, said he had met top officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Central Intelligence Agency and Secretary of State John Kerry, but none raised the issue of a probe into 1MDB.

“Not even one word was mentioned by any of them about 1MDB,” NST quoted him as saying.

The paper said Zahid believed that claims about the FBI probing into 1MDB were being “blown up” for use as “political fodder”.

Zahid had been speaking to the media on his third day of his official visit yesterday and was asked if he had been briefed about investigations into 1MDB.

News of the investigation was reported by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, citing sources close to the probe.

The NYT had reported on an inquiry by a US federal grand jury under the Justice Department, which was allegedly looking into purchases of luxury properties by those close to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

WSJ, meanwhile, had reported that the FBI was looking at allegations of money laundering.

Its report was published two days after former Umno man Datuk Seri Khairuddin Abu Hasan was supposed to have met FBI officials, but was barred from leaving Malaysia and subsequently arrested under an anti-terrorism law.

Khairuddin had lodged several reports overseas against 1MDB.

- TMI