Malaysian graft buster: Voice clips prove Najib Razak cover-up
Former prime minister caught on audio recording seeking help purportedly from Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed.
Najib also allegedly asked Abu Dhabi's crown prince to forge
a loan agreement to help his stepson and Hollywood producer
Riza Aziz, who was named in a US lawsuit
[File: Shamshahrin Shamsudin/EPA]
Malaysia's Anti-Corruption Commission has released a series of audio recordings allegedly revealing former Prime Minister Najib Razak seeking help from Abu Dhabi's crown prince and colluding with a former prosecutor to conceal wrongdoings linked to a massive corruption scandal.
The voice clips, released on Wednesday, marked a new blow to Najib, who has denied any misdeeds in the multimillion-dollar looting of the 1MDB state fund and is on trial for corruption after losing office in elections held in May 2018.
More:
Court orders Najib to enter defence in SRC International case
Cleaning up corruption goes beyond Najib
Malaysia: Najib Speaks
Commission chief Latheefa Koya said the nine phone conversations, recorded between January and July 2016, revealed a "clear cover-up and criminal conspiracy" by Najib to stifle investigations, fabricate false evidence and obstruct justice in the 1MDB scandal.
The agency has verified that the clips were genuine but she declined to say how it obtained them. She said the clips will be given to the police for further action.
In a July 26, 2016, conversation, Najib purportedly called Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed to seek an urgent meeting to resolve an "impasse" over payment between 1MDB and Abu Dhabi's International Petroleum Investment Co.
That came just days after the US Department of Justice said at least $3.5bn had been misappropriated from the fund by people close to Najib and filed lawsuits to seize allegedly ill-gotten assets linked to 1MDB.
VIDEO
101 EAST | Malaysia: Power and Corruption (26:01)
Najib also allegedly asked bin Zayed to forge a loan agreement to help his stepson and Hollywood producer Riza Aziz, who was named in the US lawsuit.
Najib said a loan agreement would show the 1MDB money to Riza's production firm Red Granite came from a legitimate source.
"I don't want him to be a victim when he was totally unaware of the source of money," Najib told the prince, according to the phone recordings.
Red Granite later paid $60m to drop the US lawsuit but Riza was charged in Malaysia last year for money-laundering.
"We can confirm their absolute authenticity. The contents are shocking; it's a cover-up and subversion of justice," Latheefa said. Najib could not be immediately reached for comment.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak faces dozens
MORE ON NAJIB RAZAKFugitive Malaysian financier downplays role in 1MDB scandal
Malaysia's Najib takes witness stand in 1MDB-linked graft case
1MDB: Third trial of Najib Razak starts in Kuala Lumpur
'Overarching influence': Najib must enter defence in 1MDB trial
Malaysia's Anti-Corruption Commission has released a series of audio recordings allegedly revealing former Prime Minister Najib Razak seeking help from Abu Dhabi's crown prince and colluding with a former prosecutor to conceal wrongdoings linked to a massive corruption scandal.
The voice clips, released on Wednesday, marked a new blow to Najib, who has denied any misdeeds in the multimillion-dollar looting of the 1MDB state fund and is on trial for corruption after losing office in elections held in May 2018.
More:
Court orders Najib to enter defence in SRC International case
Cleaning up corruption goes beyond Najib
Malaysia: Najib Speaks
Commission chief Latheefa Koya said the nine phone conversations, recorded between January and July 2016, revealed a "clear cover-up and criminal conspiracy" by Najib to stifle investigations, fabricate false evidence and obstruct justice in the 1MDB scandal.
The agency has verified that the clips were genuine but she declined to say how it obtained them. She said the clips will be given to the police for further action.
In a July 26, 2016, conversation, Najib purportedly called Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed to seek an urgent meeting to resolve an "impasse" over payment between 1MDB and Abu Dhabi's International Petroleum Investment Co.
That came just days after the US Department of Justice said at least $3.5bn had been misappropriated from the fund by people close to Najib and filed lawsuits to seize allegedly ill-gotten assets linked to 1MDB.
VIDEO
101 EAST | Malaysia: Power and Corruption (26:01)
Najib also allegedly asked bin Zayed to forge a loan agreement to help his stepson and Hollywood producer Riza Aziz, who was named in the US lawsuit.
Najib said a loan agreement would show the 1MDB money to Riza's production firm Red Granite came from a legitimate source.
"I don't want him to be a victim when he was totally unaware of the source of money," Najib told the prince, according to the phone recordings.
Red Granite later paid $60m to drop the US lawsuit but Riza was charged in Malaysia last year for money-laundering.
"We can confirm their absolute authenticity. The contents are shocking; it's a cover-up and subversion of justice," Latheefa said. Najib could not be immediately reached for comment.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak faces dozens
of charges over 1MDB, trials are continuing
[File: Lim Huey Teng/Reuters]
Najib set up 1MDB shortly after taking power in 2009 as a way to boost economic development, but it accumulated billions in debts and sparked investigations in the US and other countries.
In another recording on January 5, 2016, then-Public Prosecutor Dzulkifli Ahmad allegedly told Najib that the 1MDB investigation outcome was detrimental but that he and then-Attorney General Apandi Ali could handle the matter on the legal side.
On January 26 that year, Apandi held a news conference to clear Najib of any wrongdoing. Dzulkifli was promoted to anti-graft agency chief in August 2016.
Another conversation between Rosmah and Najib revolved around plans to invite representatives from the UAE to settle a financial dispute between 1MDB and IPIC without arbitration.
Latheefa said the agency decided to make the clips public as they were of national interest. She said the release would not be prejudicial to Najib's ongoing trials.
Najib set up 1MDB shortly after taking power in 2009 as a way to boost economic development, but it accumulated billions in debts and sparked investigations in the US and other countries.
In another recording on January 5, 2016, then-Public Prosecutor Dzulkifli Ahmad allegedly told Najib that the 1MDB investigation outcome was detrimental but that he and then-Attorney General Apandi Ali could handle the matter on the legal side.
On January 26 that year, Apandi held a news conference to clear Najib of any wrongdoing. Dzulkifli was promoted to anti-graft agency chief in August 2016.
Another conversation between Rosmah and Najib revolved around plans to invite representatives from the UAE to settle a financial dispute between 1MDB and IPIC without arbitration.
Latheefa said the agency decided to make the clips public as they were of national interest. She said the release would not be prejudicial to Najib's ongoing trials.
---30---
No comments:
Post a Comment