An opposition leader said the government’s probe into the 1MDB scandal would not instil any confidence in the public as long as Prime Minister Najib Razak remains in office.
PKR’s Batu MP Tian Chua said it was hard to applaud the attorney-general’s (AG) announcement yesterday that the special task force investigating the 1MDB scandal was in full swing.
“Najib adamantly refusing to take leave will not serve any good to clear his name.
“If Najib were to continue holding on to the position of power, the public would not believe that any investigations could be conducted without fear or favour.
“We all understand the immense power vested in the prime minister. It is hard to convince the citizens that the civil servants and government agencies have the courage and independence to stand up against the might of political power,” said Chua in a statement today.
“The public is well aware of the serious implications in the latest revelations,” he added.
'Go if nothing to hide'
1MDB, Najib’s pet project under the Finance Ministry that the PM also helms, has been mired in controversy over the past months due to a series of exposes, particularly by the foreign media.
However in an explosive report on Friday, Wall Street Journal ( WSJ ) claimed that Malaysian investigators have found that 1MDB funds had allegedly been deposited into Najib’s accounts .
"It would be a waste of time if the AG ( right ) or any task force continue to investigate 1MDB under the premiership of Najib.
"If Prime Minister truly has nothing to hide, he should be brave enough to step aside at least temporarily to allow an independent inquiry to get on with a professional job," Chua said.
He added the special task force's raid on July 3 would do little to instil public confidence in the capability of the AG to conduct a professional and impartial investigation.
Chua said this was particularly when three months had passed since the announcement of the task force on March 9 but the AG had not revealed any information prior to the WSJ expose.
"(In that period) it seems that the AG had been sitting on the information without action.
"I wonder if the AG would have conducted the raid if it was not for the news story by the WSJ and the Sarawak Report ," said Chua.
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