The Malay rulers have given serious attention to the 1MDB issue, says keeper of the rulers’ seal Syed Danial Syed Ahmad.

In response to the statement by MACC chief commissioner Mohd Shukri Abdull at a special media conference today, Syed Danial said the rulers had already issued a statement on the issue on Oct 6, 2015.

“In fact, on the rulers’ decree, I had invited the chief commissioner of the MACC, his deputy and senior officers to have an audience with the rulers to give relevant briefings.

“Within the scope of the roles and power of the rulers based on the Federal Constitution, the rulers indicated they had given serious attention to the 1MDB issue in a statement issued (in 2015) by the keeper of the rulers’ seal on behalf of the rulers,” he said in a statement today.

Syed Danial also attached a separate statement, which among others states that the Malay rulers are aware that the government is conducting an investigation, and insisted on the need for the government to complete the ongoing investigation as soon as possible.

The statement, issued over two years ago, also stated that the government should take appropriate stern action against the parties involved.

The statement also read that the Malay rulers were worried that if the issue was not handled wisely and was left unsolved for a long time, it would affect the economic situation of the country and harm the lives of ordinary people.

Shukri today claimed that he and his former boss Abu Kassim Mohamed at the MACC had met several cabinet ministers in the previous government to convince them to take action against former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.

Shukri, who was MACC deputy chief commissioner of operations at the time, said that after efforts to convince ministers did not achieve the desired results, he and Abu Kassim had an audience with the Conference of Rulers to convince it to take action against Najib, but to no avail.

- Bernama