A US Justice Department complaint filed in federal court this week
directly contradicts repeated assertions by the Malaysian prime
minister, Najib Razak, about the origins and purpose of hundreds of
millions of dollars that ended up in his personal bank accounts.
While Mr Najib and other Malaysian officials have insisted that the
money was a gift from an unidentified Saudi donor, the Justice
Department said that it was stolen from a Malaysian government
investment fund that Mr Najib oversaw. Mr Najib has said he never
received any money from the fund.
The court filing, one of several complaints filed Wednesday in a
federal money-laundering investigation, provides the first official
public documentation of transactions that challenge Mr Najib’s version
of events in a scandal that has battered his government for the past
year.
The revelations could undermine his credibility and give new
ammunition to a movement to force him from office. However, he maintains
firm control over his governing party and has successfully stifled
opposition with the firing of critics from party posts, the closing of
online news outlets and the criminal prosecution of social media
detractors and political opponents.
Read more on BangkokPost
Related news :
Malaysia has been betrayed by Prime Minister Najib Razak
Decision Time on Malaysia’s 1MDB
Malaysia's Najib unmoved after U.S. lawsuits linked to 1MDB scandal
No comments:
Post a Comment