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BNM, MACC and Zeti urged to break their silence over latest 1MDB expose

BNM, MACC and Zeti urged to break their silence over latest 1MDB expose
BNM, MACC and Zeti urged to break their silence over latest 1MDB expose

A DAP lawmaker has noted how the 1MDB scandal refuses to disappear after the spotlight landed once again on Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) former governor Zeti Akthar Aziz.

Referring to media reports on the issue, Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng said 48 hours have passed without a response.

“It is time for the Malaysian authorities to break the silence,” he added in a media statement today.

He was responding to reports that Singapore police had alerted BNM about suspicious transactions amounting to RM66 million from fugitive businessperson Jho Low to a firm allegedly owned by Zeti's husband and son in 2015 when she was still heading the central bank.

According to Lim, three parties are obligated to explain their respective positions over the latest allegation.

Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng
Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng

“Since the matter involves the reputation of our central bank, current BNM governor, Nor Shamsiah Mohd Yunus should step forward to rebut the allegations and announce the actions that can be taken by BNM against the report.

“Secondly, the MACC has to disclose if any investigation was carried out on the allegations and whether the allegations are true or false.

“Thirdly, Zeti herself should disclose what legal action she or her family have taken or will take against the allegation,” he added.

Last December, it was reported that Zeti's husband and their two sons had admitted knowing about receiving money from 1MDB funds.

The admission was contained in statutory declarations signed in March 2019. The money was in the accounts of Cutting Edge Industries in Singapore and the three admitted to being the beneficial owners of the accounts.

The statutory declarations, according to FMT, were certified as authentic by the attesting lawyers.

Meanwhile, controversial blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin had also raised the matter, prompting PKR president Anwar Ibrahim to demand answers from Zeti, who is now the chairperson of Pemodalan Nasional Bhd.

Following this, Zeti denied the allegation, describing it as “false and malicious”.

“I wish to reiterate that my family and I have never received any sums of money from 1MDB,” the former BNM governor said, adding that she had extended her fullest cooperation with the 1MDB investigations.

Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak
Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak

Zeti also said she had provided the police and the MACC with all the necessary information in relation to the investigations on 1MDB and former premier Najib Abdul Razak.

“I am unable to make any further statements as I am a potential witness in the ongoing criminal trial of the former prime minister,” she added.

Last July, Najib was sentenced to 12 years’ jail and slapped with an RM210 million fine over the misappropriation of funds linked to SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former 1MDB subsidiary.

He is also facing another 25 charges of money laundering and abuse of power involving RM2.28 billion of 1MDB funds.

Zeti had maintained that she was not aware of the funds which flowed into the former premier's accounts.

She claimed that in 2015, Najib had summoned her to his office when he was still the prime minister and tried to convince her to clear him but she refused.

In an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini following his defeat in the 2018 general election, Najib had claimed that Zeti was aware of the sum in his bank account, which he alleged was a donation from a Saudi prince.

“If Bank Negara is in the know of these funds and they had an inkling or some knowledge that there could be some doubts about the source of the funds, I expected them to tell me.

“But nothing of that sort happened. So, I assumed all along that it was fine,” he said.