Wan Azizah also called upon the Cabinet to the Malaysian monarch to proclaim the formation of a Royal Commission of Inquiry to investigate the claims, and “to suggest the prosecution of those involved in this heinous crime”.
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“There has been no evidence from any investigation conducted by any law enforcement agencies in various jurisdictions which shows that money has been misappropriated from 1MDB [or] criminal charges preferred against any individuals for the offense”, the attorney-general said in a statement.
That comes right after the largest-ever forfeiture complaint by the kleptocracy unit of the U.S. Justice Department, which has filed to seize more than $1 billion in assets in the United States.
The lawsuits filed Wednesday puts renewed pressure on Prime Minister Najib Razak, with court documents making thinly veiled references to him as a beneficiary in the alleged theft of more than $3.5 billion by his stepson, a family friend and various officials.
Najib is not named directly in the filings, but they refer to “Malaysian Official 1”, described as a “high-ranking official” with control over 1MDB.
A joint statement Thursday from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Commercial Affairs Department of the Singapore Police Force stated that investigations into 1MDB had begun in March 2015.
Malaysia’s opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat on Thursday called on Najib to step down. Some of the allegations against this official were the same as those in a Malaysian investigation into a $681-million transfer to the premier’s personal bank account.
“Allow the process to take its course”, he said, “but I want to say categorically that we are serious about good governance”.
The lawsuit is likely to affect relations, but did not come as a surprise, said a U.S. congressional aide.
Mr Najib was cleared of criminality in Malaysia this year and has always denied any wrongdoing. “We have allowed people to have their views”, said Salleh.
The film company, Red Granite Pictures, which Riza founded with Joey McFarland in 2010, received $155 million in loans from 1MDB, much of which went to finance the movie, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Malaysian fund 1MDB is now at the centre of a global corruption investigation.
KUALA LUMPUR, July 21- Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today urged the public to respect the judicial process and not jump to conclusions regarding the US Justice Department’s lawsuit to seize assets linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB). So is Low Taek Jho, a Malaysian tycoon who helped to set up 1MDB, and two former officials at an Abu Dhabi state firm with which 1MDB did business.
“Yong should lead Gerakan Youth to push Gerakan leadership including president Mah Siew Keong to stand with the people and urge that the 1MDB culprit be brought to book”, he said in a statement.
Leslie Caldwell, US assistant attorney general, said at the news conference on Wednesday that neither 1MDB nor the Malaysia people saw “a penny of profit from that film”, or the other assets that were purchased with fund siphoned from 1MDB.
While Mr Najib and other Malaysian officials have insisted that the money was a gift from an unidentified Saudi donor, the Justice Department said that it was stolen from a Malaysian government investment fund that Mr Najib oversaw.
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UBS said on Thursday it had reported some deals it was concerned about and that it is working with authorities investigating banks’ ties to 1MDB.
