PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia –Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was questioned by anti-graft busters on Tuesday for an investigation related to the state investment company 1MDB.
Mohd Shukri Abdull, chief of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), said Najib was called in to explain how a 42 million-ringgit (10.6 million U.S. dollars) deposit was made to his personal bank account from SRC International, a subsidiary of 1MDB.
Shukri told reporters at the MACC at the moment they only ask Najib to record a statement, not to arrest him, but charges could be filed "very soon." He said the anti-corruption agency has received new information related to Najib, but declined to elaborate.
The investigation on SRC International is only a part of large-scale efforts by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad to correct the alleged wrong doings committed by Najib. Mahathir also set up a task-force, comprised of personnel from the MACC, the Attorney-General's Chambers, Royal Malaysian Police and Malaysian Central Bank.
The Malaysian police also seized a trove of cash, jewelry and designer handbags from several premises related to Najib, including his private residence and luxury condominiums, part of a corruption probe following the election. But Shukri did not elaborate on the relevance between the 1MDB investigation and the search, saying it should be answered by the police.
Shukri did not specify how long the investigation will last. He said it will depend on the documents. "If we feel satisfied we can release him. If we need his statement, we will call him back," he said.Najib, who went into the MACC building at around 9:45 a.m. local time denied any wrongdoing during his premiership.Enditem
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