‘THEY WANT TO TURN IT INTO RAYA TOPIC’
Opposition leaders want issue to be prolonged until general election, says Aziz
THE brouhaha over the United States Department of Justice’s (DoJ) latest civil suit to recover assets allegedly embezzled from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) was created by the opposition.
Umno Supreme Council member Datuk Seri Ab Aziz Kaprawi said this in a statement yesterday, adding that some quarters were exploiting the issue, hoping to turn it into a topic of conversation during Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Aziz, who is also deputy transport minister, claimed that the DoJ controversy was being capitalised by opposition leaders to ensure that it was prolonged until the next general election.
“The statement by the DoJ is very suspicious because it was said that the money from 1MDB, a state-owned firm, was embezzled, but no one (from 1MDB) has been summoned by the DoJ to give statements.
“Furthermore, DoJ had again failed to clearly mention the prime minister and his wife as defendants.”
His statement came in the wake of remarks by Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) Youth chief Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman on Tuesday, who reminded the people to talk about the “pink diamond necklace”, which was highlighted in the DoJ suit, in their hometowns during Aidilfitri.
Last Thursday, the DoJ announced its third civil suit to seize assets allegedly acquired using misappropriated 1MDB funds.
Among the individuals named were Penang-born tycoon Low Taek Jho and Riza Aziz, the stepson of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
The DoJ also claimed that the wife of Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) had received a US$27.3 million (RM117.29 million) 22carat pink diamond necklace that was allegedly acquired using allegedly misappropriated 1MDB funds.
Commenting further, Aziz said the opposition reignited the 1MDB controversy as it was “desperate”. He also questioned DoJ’s action of filing the suit based on information in reports by unknown parties, which he described as “suspicious”.
“The authorities should investigate reports on a PPBM Youth exco member who claimed that there was an attempt to lobby the DoJ to bring this case forward.”
Blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin, in a blog post dated June 18, claimed that Syed Saddiq had met PPBM chairman Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and former finance minister Tun Daim Zainuddin 20 months before the DoJ filed its latest civil forfeiture suit.
Raja Petra alleged that after the meeting, Syed Saddiq informed three Youth exco members of how RM50 million was spent on attempts to materialise the DoJ suits.