Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak has called on Malaysian and Middle Eastern businessmen accused in an global lawsuit of siphoning public funds out of the country to clear their names as soon as possible. Allow for due process to take place. “That is the commitment of the government”.
Advertisement
Separately, 1MDB announced that its 2013 and 2014 audited financial statements “should no longer be relied on by any party, pending final and conclusive determination by a court of law of certain so like alleged facts” in the US complaint.
1MDB also disclosed that its auditors, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Ltd., had resigned as 1MDB’s auditor in February.
Efforts would continue to consolidate 1MDB, he said, adding that he was confident and believed that 1MDB would gain strength in the near future. The suggestion not to rely on past financial statements was a “precautionary measure”, it said.
Among those named in the cliam announced by US AttorneyGeneral Loretta Lynch are Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as “Jho Low” and Najib’s stepson Riza Aziz.
A representative for Mr.
Citing the Haj sponsored programme as an example, the Prime Minister said despite whatever was implemented it would be ensured that the principle of accountability to safeguard the people’s property was not overlooked at all. Mr Najib is finance minister and was the head of the advisory board for 1MDB.
Both Riza and Low were thanked by Leonardo DiCaprio in a Golden Globe acceptance speech for their role in helping produce and finance the film “The Wolf of Wall Street” (see below).
USA prosecutors said more than $3.5 billion in 1MDB funds were allegedly misappropriated by high-level officials of the local state investment firm and their associates between 2009 and 2015, with the money laundered through “complex transactions and fraudulent shell companies” with bank accounts located in Singapore, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the U.S.
Putra Jaya: The Government wants those named in the United States Department of Justice civil lawsuits to clear their names to show that there was no misuse of public funds as reported, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.
In July 2015, the Wall Street Journal and whistle blower site Sarawak Report released reports quoting documents, which they claimed to be from the ongoing 1MDB probe, claiming $700 million moved among 1MDB-linked government agencies, banks and entities before finally ending up in Razak’s personal accounts in five separate deposits.
Pressure on Najib to step down mounted last week after the U.S. Justice Department filed civil lawsuits alleging that over $3.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB.
Malaysia’s opposition coalition is planning an anti-Najib Razak rally on Saturday.
In Singapore, authorities said last week that they had frozen bank accounts holding $184 million, $88 million of which the authorities said belongs to Mr.
Advertisement
Najib, who has denied any wrongdoing, has said Malaysia will cooperate in worldwide investigations of the 1MDB case. Low and his family. The lawsuits are seeking to seize $1 billion of assets, including property and a private jet, allegedly taken from the fund as part of “an worldwide conspiracy to launder money”.
