His statement, however, is going to carry little weight with his detractors who accuse him of being behind the alleged misappropriation of the funds.
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Both Najib and 1MDB have consistently dismissed allegations of wrongdoing as political attacks by his opponents.
1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB, is a state investment fund Najib launched in 2009 shortly after assuming office.
Pakatan Harapan, the opposition coalition, also asked Najib to convene an emergency parliamentary sitting to provide a full explanation, following Wednesday’s revelations by US prosecutors that more than $3.5 billion was diverted from state-fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad.
Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr told CNNMoney the USA government will try to return any seized assets to “the victims of the corruption scheme, including the people of Malaysia, in a transparent and accountable way”.
Van Gogh’s painting La Maison de Vincent Arles was seized alongside Monet’s Saint-Georges Majeur and Nympheas avec Reflets de Hautes Herbes, Ingrid Ryser, a spokeswoman for the Federal Office of Justice, said in an e-mail on Thursday (local time).
The court papers, filed in Los Angeles, allege that misappropriated 1MDB money was laundered through accounts in the US.
On July 21st authorities in Singapore said that they had seized or frozen assets worth S$240m ($175m), half of it belonging to Mr Low or his family, as part of an ongoing probe into transactions linked to 1MDB.
Najib said the government would give its full cooperation to worldwide investigations of the 1MDB case.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported it had seen a paper trail that allegedly traced close to $700m from the troubled fund to Mr Najib’s personal bank accounts.
In a statement, Red Granite said that to its knowledge, “none of the funding it received four years ago was in any way illegitimate”.
The lawsuits name Najib’s stepson Riza Aziz as a “relevant individual”.
The complaint describes Riza as a relative of an unnamed “Malaysian Official 1” whose approval was needed for the fund’s financial commitments.
“We have to establish facts first”.
Wan Saiful said Umno can not be swayed despite the damage inflicted by the civil action against 1MDB. “Those people involved will have their say through the court process in the United States”, Najib said.
Other misappropriated funds from 1MDB were transferred to the co-founder of PetroSaudi, a company that had a joint venture deal with 1MDB, and thereafter to a high-ranking official in the Malaysian government it identified only as “Malaysian Official 1”.
“It does not take a rocket scientist to figure it out”.
Former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has expressed his confidence that “Malaysia Official 1” mentioned in a U.S. court document is Najib Razak.
He said any claims relating to 1MDB, whether in Malaysia or internationally, must be dealt with cautiously, warning that such issues are being used by those wishing to unseat Razak’s democratically elected government.
The Singaporean authorities have uncovered serious lapses in anti-money laundering controls at UBS and Falcon banks, in relation to the unfolding 1MDB Malaysian sovereign wealth fund corruption investigation. The incumbent prime minister nevertheless retains strong support in the cabinet and ruling party. The idea was that 1MDB would invest in projects worldwide – and the profits would return to Malaysian citizens.
“He is still politically safe”.
IDEAS chief executive officer Wan Saiful Wan Jan said Najib’s political future can not be threatened by any outside powers.
Meanwhile, the police have recorded statements from more than 25 people in their investigation with regard to the 1MDB. Some outspoken activists who questioned his conduct on social media also face criminal charges.
The people named in the complaint have not been charged with crimes – the defendants in the civil lawsuits are the properties the government wants to seize.
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The premier has already been cleared of any wrongdoing by his attorney general, but associates are under investigation for using the money to pay for a lavish lifestyle.
