Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali last month declared that there was ‘insufficient evidence’ to frame charges against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak over an RM2.6 billion donation. Two MACC panels will meet him next week over the decision. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, February 10, 2016.Two Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission oversight committees will, for the first time, meet with the attorney-general for clarification on his contentious decisions in the investigations into the RM2.6 billion donation and SRC International Sdn Bhd, sources say.
Members of the two committees – Operations Review Panel (ORP) and the Special Panel – are expected to meet Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali next week.
The move comes as a surprise as both committees initially urged MACC investigators to “engage” Apandi on the decisions not to frame charges against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak because of “insufficient evidence” and to close investigations.
They are also seeking an explanation from Apandi over his refusal to allow investigators to collect evidence into the RM2.6 billion channelled into Najib’s accounts.
A source familiar with the proposed meeting told The Malaysian Insider: “We want to know straight from the horse’s mouth the reasons he came to such decisions”.
This would be the first time the MACC’s oversight committees are meeting an A-G, who is also the public prosecutor, over high-profile cases which have attracted global media attention.
MACC deputy director of operations Datuk Sri Mohd Shukri Abdull in a statement on December 31 said investigation papers were presented to the special panel before being submitted to the A-G.
ORP is an oversight body entrusted with the responsibilities of receiving and scrutinising report from MACC on decisions of investigations made by the A-G and present its views regarding actions in cases where no charges are preferred.
The chairman of this panel is former Sarawak state secretary Tan Sri Dr Hamid Bugo.
The five-member Special Panel consists of former inspector-general of police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, former Court of Appeals judge Datuk Mohd Noor Abdullah, former Bank Negara deputy governor Datuk Zamandi Abdul Ghani, former president of the Malaysian Bar Lim Chee Wee and lawyer Datuk Zuraidah Atan.
Both panels met on January 28, two days after Apandi ordered the MACC to close the files over three investigation papers as there was insufficient evidence to frame charges against Najib.
In a brief press statement both panels said they were “gravely concerned” about Apandi’s decision and urged investigators to engage the A-G.
Apandi said based on evidence from witnesses and supporting documents submitted by MACC, the sum of US$681 million deposited into Najib’s accounts just before the 13th general election in 2013 was a personal donation from the Saudi royal family which “was given to him without any consideration”.
“MACC in their investigation personally met and recorded statements from witnesses, including the donor, which confirmed that the donation was given to the PM personally,” Apandi said.
Furthermore, the A-G said the prime minister returned US$620 million (RM2.03 billion) to the Saudi royal family in August 2013 because the money was not utilised.
On investigation into SRC International, Apandi said: “There (is) no evidence to show that the PM had any knowledge and, or was informed that the monies had been transferred into his personal accounts from the accounts of SRC International”.
MACC opened investigations following reports in The Wall Street Journal and Sarawak Report in July last year alleging that of the RM2.6 billion, RM42 million originated from SRC International, a subsidiary of Najib’s brainchild, 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
This was according to documents on the money trail provided by Malaysian investigators, WSJ and Sarawak Report said.
On Saturday, The New York Times quoted Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Adel al-Jubeir as saying that he did not think that the US$681 million was from the Saudi government or that it was a political donation.
“It is a private Saudi citizen, I believe, and the funds went to an investment in Malaysia,” he said.
Later on the same day, Chinese daily, Sinchew Daily in an exclusive interview quoted Apandi as saying that a son of late King Abdullah Abdulaziz Al Saud was the donor. – February 10, 2016.
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