KUALA LUMPUR: According to MACC senior superintendent Nur Aida Arifin, Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed was replaced as the head of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in order to protect Datuk Seri Najib Razak from being investigated and charged in connection with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal in 2016. She made these revelations when verifying the content of an audio recording of a conversation between Najib, his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, and his former special officer Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin.
Nur Aida Arifin explained that, as the then prime minister, Najib took actions that impacted the investigation of the case. After Tan Sri Abu Kassim was replaced by Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad, she received instructions not to continue with the investigation. When asked for the name of the person who gave her the instructions, she said she did not remember but wrote it in her investigation diary.
The court also heard an audio recording of a conversation between Najib and Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala chief executive officer Khaldoon Al-Mubarak, discussing the production of a film by Najib’s stepson, Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz, using funds from 1MDB.
In question: Abu Kassim (above) was replaced as the MACC chief commissioner to protect Najib from being investigated, court hears.
The proceedings revealed nine audio recordings, allegedly involving Najib, Rosmah, and several high-profile individuals connected to the 1MDB investigation. Voices identified by the witness included Dzulkifli, former Baling MP Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, Najib’s former private secretary Tan Sri Shukry Mohd Salleh, Amhari, United Arab Emirates Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Zayed Al Nahyan (who is now UAE president) and Khaldoon.
Nur Aida also stated that Najib had never instructed authorities, including the police and the MACC, to investigate fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, despite being aware of his significant role in 1MDB despite not holding any official position in the company.
“Based on my investigation, I did not find any letters sent by Najib to the late King Abdullah Abdulaziz Al Saud or the Saudi Arabian government as a token of appreciation or gratitude for any donations, as alleged by the former prime minister,” she said.
“My investigation also revealed that companies alleged to have channeled donation funds from the Saudi Arabian government into Najib’s accounts, including Blackstone Real Estate and Tanore Finance Corporation, had no business dealings with 1MDB. There is also no evidence to suggest that the Saudi Arabian government had informed Najib that the donations would first enter these companies’ accounts before being channeled into Najib’s accounts,” she added.
Najib, 70, faces four charges, namely using his position to obtain bribes totaling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds and 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.
