Saudi minister says govt has nothing to do with RM2.6 bln

PUTRAJAYA: The Saudi Arabian government has nothing to do with the RM2.6 billion donation allegedly received by former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, said Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

He said this was mentioned by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Ahmed Al-Jubeir when they met in Wisma Putra yesterday.

During the meeting where they also discussed on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and the RM2.6 billion donation, Saifuddin said: “He (Adel) stated that (RM2.6 billion donation) has nothing to do with the Saudi government.”

According to him, when they met at the 73rd United Nations General Assembly in New York last month, Adel told him that the Saudi government would cooperate in the 1MDB investigations and they had nothing to do with RM2.6 billion donation.

“Today he repeated the statement, “he told reporters after Adel’s courtesy call on Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad at Perdana Putra here.

In 2016 while attending the 13th Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Summit in Istanbul, Turkey, Adel was reported as saying the donation to Najib came from Saudi Arabia.

“We are aware of the donation and it is really a donation expecting nothing in return. We are also aware that the Attorney-General of Malaysia has conducted a thorough investigation into the matter and found no misconduct.

“So, as far as we know, the issue is closed,” Adel reportedly said in 2016.

In January that year, AttorneyGeneral Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali cleared Najib of any wrongdoing in connection with investigations into SRC International Sdn Bhd and the RM2.6 billion fund allegedly deposited into the personal accounts of the prime minister.

Meanwhile, Saifuddin said during their meeting, he also informed of the cabinet decision that Malaysia would withdraw from the Saudi-led coalition against Yemen.

“At the moment all our soldiers are back home and we are no longer involved,” he said.

On the King Salman Centre for International Peace (KSCIP), Saifuddin said the matter was also discussed.

“The idea has not been implemented and we will not proceed with it,” he said.

On the joint venture between Petronas and Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Saudi Aramco), Saifuddin said the two companies wanted cooperation between them to be enhanced..

“Most importantly, the volume of trade between the two countries will be increased,” he said adding that relationship between the two countries was still strong. - Bernama