Six-minute phone conversation recording allegedly between Najib and Rosmah
PUTRAJAYA: A six-minute audio recording between a man and a woman, which was revealed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday, had touched upon a dispute between 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC).
MACC Chief Commissioner Latheefa Koya claimed that the six-minute-long recording was a telephone conversation between former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor.
She told reporters that the conversation between “Najib” and “Rosmah” allegedly took place on July 27, 2016. They had discussed several issues, including the attempt by IPIC to settle its dispute with 1MDB at the International Arbitration Court (IAC).
Latheefa said the conversation occurred a few days before Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad had been appointed as the new MACC chief commissioner replacing Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed on Aug 1, 2016.
“Can I advise you something?” the woman alleged to be Rosmah was heard as saying, while raising her voice.
The woman went on and said: “No. You still don’t (did not) listen to me. They tell you to slow down Abu Kassim and Abu Kassim is making statements…
“And Abu Kassim is taking pictures with Pak Lah (former prime minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi)… They are making him look like a hero and you are the villain.”
It was also heard in the recording that the woman was unhappy about how the man’s officers handled issues related to 1MDB and IPIC. Woman: All these five people, can they see that their first priority is you and not anybody else? Man: Which five people?
The woman then was heard mentioning several names, which she identified only as “Shahlan”, “Tengku” and “Amhari”. Man: No, no, no. I allowed Azwan to make statements. The impact is already good.
Woman: Today, Abu Kassim took a picture (which appeared) in BH( Berita Harian) with Pak Lah.
At one juncture, the man told the woman that he had signed the appointment letter of Dzulkifli as MACC chief.
“I already signed the letter for Dzul’s (Dzulkifli) appointment,” the man was heard saying.
In the recording, the woman was also heard urging the man to resolve the arbitration issue between 1MDB and IPIC.
However, the man talked about the repercussion of IPIC taking its dispute to IAC.
“If you file for arbitration, everybody will get hurt,” the man was heard telling the woman.
Towards the end of the recording, the woman told the man to invite a certain figure from Abu Dhabi to the couple’s house to find solutions to the issues raised by her.
Woman: You cannot blame him. That is his culture. Maybe invite them to come here. Not talking on the telephone. It is not like (he) does not know us. He (had previously) ate at our house. The woman also told the man that time was running out.
Woman: Darling, we wasted one week already.
Man: A lot of things are moving already. ‘Diaorang’ (they) want to see some movement on the other side, the Chinese. The Chinese side is moving already.