‘Malaysia not hiding anything’
KUALA LUMPUR: The government is not protecting anyone or hiding information relating to the civil suit filed by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) to seize assets alleged to have been bought with money siphoned from 1Malaysia Development Bhd.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said the government would act in a transparent manner in any investigation, such as the one currently conducted by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“We are not hiding anything. In fact, we will ensure that anyone who breaks the law faces appropriate action. This shows the government’s transparency.
“It also sets aside the assumption that we are protecting certain parties,” he said after launching Goxip.com, a website and platform for local and international fashion here yesterday.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the government would give its full cooperation in the civil complaint filed by the DOJ the day before.
Najib stressed that it was a civil complaint and not a criminal case, and said it was confined to the names mentioned in the DOJ documents.
Salleh said all those named in the complaint must clear their names and be given a chance to explain.
He urged all parties not to draw their own conclusions, as the investigations had just begun.
“This is just the beginning of the investigation. It is not right to make conclusions.
“We should be fair to all concerned. You cannot just listen to one side. We must wait and see what they (DOJ) do,” he added.
Meanwhile, Second Finance Minister Datuk Johari Abdul Ghani has dismissed a proposal for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to look into the US government’s investigation into the alleged misappropriation of funds involving 1MDB.
“Is that necessary when everything has been made public? I think this is the most extensive coverage of any issue in this country, and we are not talking about running it only for one month, but perhaps, three or four years.
“So, I think, across the world, everybody has already covered (the investigation). Why would we need an RCI?
“Just wait for the legal process to go through,” Johari said at the National Economy Briefing organised by the Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) here yesterday.
Commenting on the actions taken by the DOJ, Johari said: “They have all the right to do so because this is something that happened in their country.”
“On our part, our dealings are only with the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) group, Abu Dhabi’s investment arm, which is the reason we have a dispute with Abu Dhabi.
“What Abu Dhabi does with the Communications and Multimedia Minister
(left) at the launch of the website Goxip.com in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Pic by Zaen Asyraf
rest of the individuals mentioned by the DOJ, IPIC has to answer for it,” he said, adding that the matter had been taken to the Arbitration Court in London.
Johari said the government would not protect any party if they were
found guilty.
“As far as we are concerned, we are not going to cover anybody. We will give our full cooperation, and we will make sure that we defend no one (if they are found guilty),” he said.