The Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) cast its doubts on the veracity of a report by the New York Times yesterday that a United States grand jury probe had been set in motion to investigate alleged corruption committed by Prime Minister Najib Razak and several individuals close to him.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Noor Rashid Ibrahim said the NYT report was dubious, as the PDRM had not yet been approached by any foreign law enforcement authority concerning the allegations against the PM.
“I am not sure if that report is true… I do not know if there is an investigation. “What I do know is, foreign authorities have not sought out police here. If there were a probe, then definitely they would have contacted police here, so it is difficult for me to comment further,” he told reporters at PDRM headquarters in Bukit Aman today, as quoted by The Malaysian Insider‘s Diyana Ibrahim.
The NYT report claimed that a US grand jury investigation was in the works to probe allegations of corruption committed by Najib, Malaysian billionaire Jho Low, and Najib’s stepson, movie producer Riza Aziz.
The main focus of the corruption investigation was the purchase of several real estate properties in the US by shell companies allegedly linked to Najib, Riza and Jho Low, an issue that the NYT had previously reported on in earlier investigative reports.
The report said the US grand jury would also investigate the matter of the RM2.6 billion transferred into Najib’s personal bank accounts in 2013, two months before the 13th General Elections.
The transfer, first reported by The Wall Street Journal on July 2, sparked off intense scrutiny on the PM at home, leading to the (now defunct) formation of a special task force looking into the matter comprised of the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the PDRM, the MACC, and Bank Negara.
Scrutiny into the PM’s alleged wrongdoings also led to the Cabinet reshuffle on July 28, which saw the ouster of former Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin and several other federal ministers seen as being critical of the PM and his handling of the scandals surrounding himself and sovereign investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Local financial news outlet The Edge was also struck with a three-month printing license freeze by the Home Ministry for reporting on the 1MDB issue and its links to Najib. The ban was lifted on Monday in a ruling by the KL High Court, which deemed Home Minister (and now Deputy Prime Minister) Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi’s move to issue the ban inconsistent with the law.
