Former PM’s aide is the 1st person to be remanded by MACC to facilitate probe
by LYDIA NATHAN / pic by BERNAMA
A FORMER special officer to Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak has been remanded seven days to assist the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) probe.
The remand order for the 42-year-old former prime minister’s (PM) aide was secured by the MACC from Magistrate Shah Wira Abdul Halim when he was brought to the Putrajaya Magistrate Court yesterday, according to Bernama.
The former special officer with the title “Datuk” was remanded to facilitate the probe under Section 17(a) of the MACC Act 2009.
He was the first to be remanded to facilitate the investigation into the scandal-plagued state fund since the change of government.
According to the Bernama report, the officer had arrived for questioning at the MACC’s headquarters on Sunday before the remand yesterday.
He was clad in the MACC orange lock-up attire and handcuffed when he was brought to the court at 9:15am.
It is believed that many more who had benefitted from the misappropriation of the state fund’s money will be called up for questioning.
A news portal’s report suggested authorities are already demanding banks to furnish accounts and transactions details of these individuals linked to the fund’s alleged illegal money distribution.
1MDB has been in the spotlight after Pakatan Harapan’s historic general election win on May 9, 2018. The alliance had promised a full-scale investigation into the state fund if it captured Putrajaya.
Najib and his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor have already given their statements to the MACC.
The former PM has denied any forms of wrongdoing. Najib had also been cleared by the former attorney general (AG) of any wrongdoing.
PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad claimed Najib’s signatures were found on almost every related document involving the state fund.
The MACC has submitted its investigation papers to the new AG Tommy Thomas.
Dubbed as one of the largest financial scandals with about US$4.5 billion (RM18.05 billion) misappropriated from the fund, investigation into 1MDB is currently being carried out in no less than six countries.
Thomas has sought cooperation from Switzerland, the US, France and the United Arab Emirates over the 1MDB scandal. Banks which had managed the fund’s money had been closed in Switzerland and Singapore. A few suspects are also in jail in Singapore for various offences related to fund’s unlawful transfers.
The MACC has listed a few more individuals who could help the graft buster stitch up the evidence and prosecute those responsible for the losses at the fund.
A special task force has also been created to look into the illegal funnelling of funds from 1MDB. Malaysia has also tried to recover the money believed to be misappropriated from the fund.
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