Bukit Aman team headed to S’pore to investigate 1MDB, Tawfiq Anyan
ATEAM of investigators from Bukit Aman is expected to go to Singapore on March 29 and 30, in connection with the ongoing investigation into Tawfiq Ayman and the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case.
Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Mohd Kamarudin Md Din said Singapore Police’s Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) had agreed on the dates for the team to go to Singapore.
“The investigation into the case is still ongoing and it involves obtaining the statements of those in Malaysia and Singapore.
“The CAD has given its cooperation ‘on an intelligence basis’ to CCID officers,” he said in a statement on March 16.
The investigation paper into the case was referred to the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) in October last year and the police were instructed to acquire further statements from individuals in Singapore to be used in a Malaysian court, he said.
Kamarudin said the police would file an application under the Mutual Assistance in
Criminal Matters Act 2002 through the AGC.
He also said Singaporean authorities had agreed for the Malaysian police team to go to Singapore in December 2021 and February this year.
“However, the trips could not be carried out due to various factors including the suspension of the Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) between Malaysia and Singapore from December 23 till January 20.
“The investigating officer was a close contact and subsequently tested positive for Covid-19 in February. It prevented him from giving feedback on the proper dates for the team to head to Singapore.
“At the same time, we have not gotten feedback from witnesses who are Singaporean citizens on their willingness to be interviewed,” he said.
Kamarudin said that previous statements on the case involving Tawfiq and the investigating team’s planned trip to Singapore were never meant to hide facts or cause confusion.
The Singapore police had previously stated that all requests for assistance from the Malaysian police (PDRM) relating to the 1MDB investigation had been promptly addressed, including queries about Tawfiq specifically.
The Singapore police said their Malaysian counterparts made the request to travel to Singapore to conduct further investigations on December 2, 2021 and they had agreed and responded to the request on December 6, including proposals for multiple dates and arrangements to comply with Covid-19 border measures.
The Singapore police were responding to reports that the Malaysian police were waiting for a reply from Singapore to conduct further investigations into 1MDB and Tawfiq, the husband of former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz.
“There was multiple correspondence subsequently. In the last correspondence on January 10, CAD proposed for the visit to then be conducted between February 8 and 9.
“PDRM responded on March 8, when they asked to enter Singapore in mid- to late-March,” said the Singapore police.
Singapore has been facilitating Malaysia’s 1MDB-related investigations in other ways since 2015.