Citing his promise in June that all the problems facing 1MDB will be resolved, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today claimed that spring is in the air for the debt-ridden government strategic investment arm.
"It is therefore clear that 1MDB’s major challenges are now behind it as I promised they would be last summer, " he said in a statement.
Najib proudly related that the company has already entered into agreements that will see its debts reduced by about RM40.4 billion.
He said that this represents the overwhelming majority of 1MDB’s RM46 billion debt.
The PM highlighted the latest of these which was the sale of 60 percent equity in Bandar Malaysia to a consortium comprising Iskandar Waterfront Holdings and China Railway Engineering Corporation.
The deal was announced earlier today, and Najib claimed it will result in a debt reduction of RM7.1 billion for 1MDB.
Previously, 1MDB also sold off its energy assets under subsidiary Edra Energy, and also arranged for a portion of its liabilities to be taken over by foreign firm IPIC, for a soon-to-be executed asset transfer.
"[...] And all that remains is for the deals it has entered into to be completed and the final steps of 1MDB’s rationalisation programme to complete," Najib said.
Najib's proclamation comes hot on the heels of former Umno member Anina Saadudin , who called him out on his promise yesterday asking him to deliver on his promise.
Anina's membership in the Malay party was automatically voided after she filed a lawsuit against Umno and Najib over the RM2.6 billion 'donation', which the PM supposedly received in his personal account on the party's behalf.
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