I have given notice to ask the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Razak three questions on the 1MDB global financial scandal in next month’s Parliament, viz:
1. To ask the Prime Minister whether he is “MALAYSIAN OFFICIAL 1” mentioned in the US Department of Justice lawsuit seeking forfeiture of US$1 billion 1MDB-linked assets and what action he had taken as a result.
2. To ask the Prime Minister when the government learnt that the United States authorities were carrying out investigations into the embezzlement and money-laundering of 1MDB funds under the US Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative and what actions the government had taken.
3. To ask the Prime Minister what co-operation Malaysian government has given to various governments and international institutions investigating various aspects of the 1MDB financial scandal.
These questions on the 1MDB global scandal have increasingly snowballed in magnitude and will cast a great shadow over the budget parliamentary meeting in the next two months as well as the 2017 Budget to be presented by Najib as Finance Minister on Friday, Oct. 21, 2016.
Najib said in Germany during his visit to the European country that Malaysia would cooperate with US and other international authorities investigating into the multi-billion ringgit embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of 1MDB funds and assets acquired by them in foreign countries.
Isn’t such a statement by Najib not only too little and too late, but totally lacking in credibility?
Why only make such a statement in Germany more than two months after the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits on July 20 on the forfeiture of over US$1billion of assets in the United States, United Kingdom and Switzerland, from over US$3billion embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of 1MDB funds, and months after several countries like Singapore and Switzerland had taken action against banks, financial institutions and their staff in their countries for being involved in the international conspiracy on money-laundering of 1MDB funds, when such a statement should be made at least two months ago and inside the country?
It is unthinkable that Najib or the Malaysian authorities were unaware of the investigations by the US authorities into 1MDB global financial scandal until the US DOJ action on July 20 as the US probe would have been started at least 18 months ago.
In fact, the New York Times reported on Sept. 22 last year that a US federal grand jury was examining allegations of corruption involving Najib and people close to him in connection with the 1MDB financial scandal.
Many Malaysian leaders, including Najib and Deputy Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi had visited the United States from Sept. 22 to July 20 this year.
Did they inquire about these investigations into the 1MDB financial scandal by the US authorities under the US Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, and offered co-operation in such investigations, and if not, why not?
As the 1MDB global scandal is the chief cause why Malaysia has acquired the international infamy of a global kleptocracy, is Najib prepared to reserve the first three days of Parliament beginning on Oct. 17 on a Prime Ministerial motion to refute the damning allegation that Malaysia has become a global kleptocracy?