PETALING JAYA: Over the weekend, the powers that be responded to the bombshell dropped by Swiss authorities that up to USD4 billion may have been misappropriated from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
After Attorney-General (AG) Apandi Ali vowed to co-operate with his Swiss counterpart Michael Lauber over the issue as requested, Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the government has instructed Apandi to make the necessary arrangements for a meeting between the two.
However, Zahid was less than happy that the Swiss authorities had made their request publicly rather than going through official channels.
“Making a public statement, in my opinion, is not a proper move.
“Not only can it strain ties between two countries but also lead to bias in media reports,” Zahid told reporters at the Tourism Fair 2016 in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
Today, Malaysiakini reported that the Office of the AG of Switzerland (OAG) was satisfied with Apandi’s willingness to assist in investigations, but declined to comment on Zahid’s remarks.
In a statement to the portal, the OAG said as a law enforcement body and judicial authority, it would not comment on political statements.
The issue has only become more intriguing since The Malaysian Insider released a report, in which the OAG said it would be handing over “significant evidence” of illegal financial transactions involving Malaysian companies to Malaysian authorities, soon.
“The OAG is hopeful that our colleagues in Malaysia will examine the evidence we have gathered and provide us with further assistance, as the two attorneys-general agreed last September,” the OAG told the portal in an email.
The OAG had in a recent media statement revealed that USD4 billion may have been misappropriated from 1MDB and transferred to Swiss bank accounts.
It said various Malaysian public officials, as well as former and current officials of the United Arab Emirates were involved in the alleged misappropriation.
The OAG said it had requested for the assistance and co-operation of Malaysian authorities in connection with its investigations of possible violations of Swiss laws related to bribery of foreign officials, misconduct in public office, money-laundering and criminal mismanagement at 1MDB.
“The monies believed to have been misappropriated would have been earmarked for investment in economic and social development projects in Malaysia.
“So far four cases involving allegations of criminal conduct and covering the period from 2009 to 2013 have come to light in this connection (relating to Petrosaudi, SRC, Genting, Tanjong and ADMIC), each involving a systematic course of action carried out by means of complex financial structures,” said the statement.
Source from FMT NEWS
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