An Umno MP has said while it is good that the government has denied allegations of embezzlement against Prime Minister Najib Razak, what is urgently needed is for the central bank and AmBank to clear the air.
“Allegations of this nature cannot be tolerated. Yes, action and legal remedies are good initiatives, however a 'total image cleanup’ must also be done immediately,” said Kepala Batas MP Reezal Merican Naina Merican.
“While the Prime Minister’s Office, 1MDB and also several companies linked to the allegations have sounded their denials, there has been no clear statement from Bank Negara Malaysia or even AmBank, which was named in the Wall Street Journal ( WSJ ) allegation, and this brings about confusion among the public.
“To me, this is the vacuum that must be filled in any effort to deny or clarify,” he said in a statement this morning.
Reezal also took a swipe at the blame game that has ensued, with Najib ( photo ) fingering his predecessor Dr Mahathir Mohamad as the mastermind.
Reezal said instead, the government must act fast to clean up the mess and deal with the problem or risk smearing the good name and further erode both the party and the government's image.
"I think we don't really need to figure out who is behind the international media and certain blog attacks.
"More importantly, our lawn must be cleared of all these allegations," he said.
On Friday, WSJ reported that Malaysian investigators have traced nearly US$700 million of deposits into what they believe are Najib's personal bank accounts.
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WSJ cited documents from a government probe of 1MDB scandal, which both the international financial newspaper and whistleblower website Sarawak Report have obtained.
Najib in a Facebook posting yesterday claimed the allegations are a part of a concerted campaign of political sabotage to topple a democratically elected prime minister, which former premier Mahathir Mohammad and foreign media are involved.
"The latest allegation is that I have taken state-linked funds for personal gain. I believe Tun (Mahathir), working hand in glove with foreign nationals, including the now discredited political blog Sarawak Report , is behind this latest lie.
"Let me be very clear: I have never taken funds for personal gain as alleged by my political opponents – whether from 1MDB, SRC International or other entities, as these companies have confirmed," Najib wrote on his Facebook page.
Meanwhile another Umno MP wants both Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) and Ambank to publicly deny Najib's involvement in the newest scandal.
Titiwangsa MP Johari Ghani ( photo ) said both of the financial institutions need to affirm that the transactions involving Najib's bank accounts, as alleged by WSJ, never occurred.
"This action is important following the PM's denial yesterday.
"BNM and Ambank needs to follow up on the denial by confirming that no such transaction occurred.
"But if both banks kept mum, it won't calm the WSJ report's readers perception (on Najib)," he said as quoted by Mingguan Malaysia today.
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