PMO dismisses claims against Najib as political sabotage

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KUALA LUMPUR: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said allegations that about RM2.6 billion had been channelled into the personal bank accounts of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak are a continuation of political sabotage.

In an immediate response to a report by The Wall Street Journal which attributed the claims to unnamed investigators, the PMO said there had been concerted efforts by certain individuals to undermine confidence in the economy.

Certain individuals were trying to tarnish the government and remove a democratically-elected prime minister despite Najib’s successful stewardship of Malaysia’s economy against global headwinds, it said in a statement yesterday.

“It has been reported that criminal leaking of documents, doctoring and extortion have taken place to mislead the media and public,” the PMO said. “So it is incumbent on responsible members of the media not to accept documents as genuine unless verified by the appropriate authorities.”

The PMO noted that 1Malaysia Development Bhd has stated that it never provided funds to Najib.

1MDB, in a statement, said it has never provided funds to the prime minister and “to suggest otherwise, as some media outlets have done, is highly irresponsible and a deliberate attempt to undermine the company.”

“Recent revelations have raised concerns about the veracity of a number of ‘leaked’ documents which certain media outlets and online blogs such as Sarawak Report have used to mislead the public and justify spurious allegations against the company and the government,” 1MDB said in a statement.

“According to press reports, these documents were found to have been tampered with, and were being used by an individual, who is currently under arrest in a foreign country, to extort and blackmail his former employer.

“We are therefore surprised that documents such as these, whose existence and authenticity have not been publicly verified, continue to be used as a basis to create new unsubstantiated allegations against 1MDB.”

The individual the 1MDB was apparently referring to is Xavier Andre Justo, a Swiss former employee of PetroSaudi International who is said to have blackmailed his former employer.

1MDB said it is cooperating with a number of enquiries being conducted by the authorities, including the Auditor General, the Public Accounts Committee and Bank Negara Malaysia.

“These authorities have all the relevant information, and 1MDB has requested all parties to await the outcome of their findings before making further allegations and rushing to judgement,” it added. — Bernama