Najib: Dr M behind WSJ report

The Malay Mail Online
Friday July 3, 2015 11:49 PM GMT+8

KUALA LUMPUR, July 3 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak accused Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad of working with foreigners to produce the Wall Street Journal report accusing the former of receiving funds from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

In arguably the most direct attack against his most vocal critic, Najib said the latest allegation against him was just another in the series of claims made by Dr Mahathir in his campaign to oust the prime minister.

“The latest allegation is that I have taken state-linked funds for personal gain. I believe Tun, working hand in glove with foreign nationals, including the now discredited political attack blog Sarawak Report, is behind this latest lie,” Najib wrote on Facebook today.

“These attacks began when I refused to implement Tun Mahathir’s personal demands. I refused, because I do not believe it is right for Malaysia to be ruled by proxy.”

Pointing out that all the attacks against him and 1MDB were not been backed by evidence, Najib said it was clear that they were part of a concerted campaign to sabotage and remove him as the democratically-elected prime minister of Malaysia.

He then cited the arrest of a former PetroSaudi International executive who is accused of blackmailing the firm and tampering with documents of its deals with 1MDB that he later leaked, Najib added that revelations revealed much about those who used the documents to target his administration.

“Those who continue to mount these attacks should be prepared to face the consequences of their actions,” Najib continued.

“These gutter tactics — in some cases criminal tactics — to overthrow the government will fail. Where appropriate, they will be met with the full force of the law.”

Najib then repeated the denial issued by the Prime Minister’s Office in response to the WSJ report, and noted similar denials by the companies implicated.

In its report today, the WSJ, citing documents from Malaysian investigators currently scrutinising the troubled 1MDB’s financials, claimed that the money trail shows that some US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) were moved between government agencies, banks and companies before it ended up in Najib’s accounts.

These documents, the international business paper claimed, include bank transfer forms and flowcharts put together by investigators to shed light on 1MDB’s cash flow.

The paper said this is the first time a direct connection to Najib has been established in the probe on 1MDB.

This evening, Dr Mahathir asked the Inland Revenue Board to state the amount of taxes that 1MBD executives as well as personalities linked to the firm have paid and to examine what he categorised as their lavish lifestyles.

Dr Mahathir has been on a campaign against Najib, using allegations against 1MDB — the prime minister’s brainchild — as the cornerstone of his bid to remove the latter from power.

1MDB is currently under investigation by at least four federal agencies.