‘Stop politicising 1MDB’

> Certain quarters feeding foreign parties false information, says Najib

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak said the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) issue has become highly politicised, with certain quarters in Malaysia attempting to exploit it for their personal political benefit.

He said they had been “feeding foreign authorities with false or incomplete information”.

“Those outside Malaysia cannot always appreciate these complexities, but it is something they should bear in mind to avoid becoming entangled in what has become a domestic political matter,” he said in a written interview with Nikkei Asian Review ahead of his three-day official visit to Japan that began yesterday.

The visit is at the invitation of his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe.

Najib said Malaysian authorities had led the way in investigations into 1MDB, and it was he who first instructed multiple authorities in Malaysia to conduct investigations, Bernama reported.

“For example, the company has been the subject of investigations by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, the auditorgeneral, police and the bipartisan parliamentary Public Accounts Committee, which includes Opposition politicians,” he said.

On foreign governments investigating misappropriation of funds related to 1MDB and whether he considered that to be interference and if Malaysia would reopen its own probe, Najib said he had always made it clear that full cooperation should be extended to any investigation, provided it was in accordance with the laws of Malaysia.

“As I have consistently stated, if any wrongdoing is proven, the law will be enforced without exception.”

On his visit to Japan, Najib said he and Abe would discuss bilateral matters and issues of regional and international importance.

He will also meet with ministers in charge of various departments, including land, infrastructure, transport and tourism and the business community.

Najib said Malaysia and Japan are in the second phase of the “Look East Policy”, and “in line with that, we will continue to enhance institutional cooperation between our two countries”.

“In particular, I am committed to increasing trade and investment flows, specifically in areas such as innovation and cutting-edge technology, high-tech skills and services development, and renewable energy.”

He said Japan has led the way in many of these sectors, and Malaysia is keen to learn from the country and cooperate with it in these areas.