The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has quizzed Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak this morning over the SRC International Sdn Bhd’s RM42 million deposited into his personal accounts and the RM2.6 billion donation.
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MACC officers met with Najib on Thursday to fix an appointment to record his statement on the matter.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has identified the individual who donated the money, he said, without elaborating.
It gives a council headed by the prime minister authority to declare emergency powers to address security threats, arrest people without warrants and otherwise curb basic constitutional freedoms without judicial oversight, critics say.
Questions about the funds were first raised five months ago when the Wall Street Journal reported that the money made its way into the Prime Minister’s personal bank accounts just before the May 2013 general election.
MACC’s attempts to speak to the prime minister failed owing to his busy schedule.
The prime minister also said he was willing to give a statement to the anti-graft agency over the RM2.6 billion “political donation”, and promised to do so “as soon as possible”.
Amid widespread speculation about financial misappropriation involving state investor 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), Malaysians want to know where the huge sum came from, how the money was used, how much is left and where the remainder is now.
Critics also accuse the government of dragging its feet on the investigation and even Malaysia’s royal rulers have called for a quick and transparent investigation.
Mr Najib has repeatedly denied allegations of wrongdoing, saying he has not used any funds for personal gain. The fund is also being investigated by law enforcement agencies in Switzerland, Hong Kong and the United States, media and sources have said.
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The controversy has battered Malaysian markets with the ringgit losing about a quarter of its value to become Asia’s worst-performing currency this year.
