The statement doesn’t come as a surprise to me. The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) Chairman, Hasan Arifin, just like some of the other ruling politicians, is bending over backwards to insulate Prime Minister NajibRazak, who is indirectly implicated in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad financial scandal.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has brought about a civil charge against certain individuals for using stolen money from the state development fund to buy assets in America laundering money through their financial system.
The 136-page report also claims that a certain Malaysian Official 1 had millions deposited into his account from money looted from the sovereign fund.
It is therefore only fair or logical that Malaysia re-investigates 1MDB. Hasan’s refusal to open new investigations hints to the world that there is something to hide.
Re-opening files and investigations on big cases like 1MDB upon finding new evidence happens all over the world. That’s how democracy and justice prevail.
But here the Attorney General, Mohamed Apandi Ali, managed to wrap up the case quickly. And now Hasan Arifin is desperate to ensure that the investigation stays closed.
The US government is seeking to recover more than USD 1billion worth of assets bought by Najib’s stepson Riza Aziz, the financer who helped set-up 1MDB Jho Low and Khadem Al Qubaisi, former managing director of Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Co.
It’s Attorney General, Loretta E Lynch, managed to find enough evidence to bring on a charge.
If the Public Accounts Committee is interested in seeking justice, it would launch an independent and exhaustive investigation against 1MDB, without prematurely concluding that it’s just a waste of time.
I call upon all political parties, NGOs, professional groups and fellow Malaysians to demand PAC to re-open IMDB investigations, especially after the revelations of the DOJ suit.