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RM2.6 billion donor will want publicity, says Dr Mahathir

The alleged Middle-Eastern donor who “contributed” RM2.6 billion into Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s personal accounts would have wanted publicity for the donation, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said today. The former prime minister said that such would have been the “ego” of someone who was giving away such a large sum of money. He said so during an event in Tawau, Sabah, today, addressing a crowd of more than 2,000. Najib had insisted that the money was from a Middle-Eastern benefactor. “If he wanted to give that much money, he would have publicised it and said, look I'm giving this much of money (to Najib)." In his speech, Dr Mahathir also accused Najib of “stealing money”. “If you want to give money to get support, but don’t have enough money, what do you do? You steal.” The country’s longest serving prime minister also said that he was not fazed by the prospect of being arrested after becoming Najib’s chief critic in recent months, and for calling for the latter’s resignation. “I still want to say that he stole the money.” He said 1MDB, which was Najib’s brainchild, was set up so that the prime minister could steal the money. Najib is also finance minister and chairman of 1MDB’s advisory board. The government-owned state investment firm has racked up debts of RM42 billion and is undergoing a restructuring exercise, which includes the sale of its power assets. Najib has denied taking 1MDB funds for personal use and has said the RM2.6 billion was a political donation held in trust for Umno, the ruling Malay party which he leads. – October 5, 2015.