Najib Denies Orchestrating Dissolution Of 1MDB Task Force

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 7 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak asserted before the High Court today that the allegation claiming he orchestrated the dissolution of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) task force in July 2015 was unfounded and deliberately fabricated to unjustly attribute blame to him.

Testifying as the first defence witness in his trial for misappropriating RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds, Najib also firmly denied the allegation that he was involved in the removal of former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed and former Attorney-General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail that same year.

"The claim that I took steps to cause the removal of the MACC Chief Commissioner and influenced the closure of the 1MDB case is entirely baseless and misconceived. 

"The changes in leadership at both the MACC and the Attorney-General Chambers (AGC) were part of an administrative reshuffling and had nothing to do with any directive or interference from me," he said.

The task force, led by Abdul Gani, was composed of multiple agencies, including the police, the MACC, Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), and the AGC. 

After Abdul Gani's removal as AG, the task force was dissolved in July 2015, during Najib's tenure as prime minister. 

Najib emphasised that the dissolution had no impact on the probe into 1MDB and BNM had already launched its independent investigation, which led to a fine of RM15 million imposed on the corporation in 2016. 

"Concurrently, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) continued its hearings, and other law enforcement agencies actively pursued their inquiries. These facts decisively refute the baseless notion that the task force’s dissolution was intended to obstruct justice or investigation," he said.

He further stated that, in Abdul Gani’s case, he had intended to propose his appointment as a Federal Court judge.

"However, this plan did not materialise. The suggestion that his replacement as Attorney-General was motivated by a desire to stymie investigations into 1MDB is simply false.

"The MACC continued its investigations into 1MDB under new leadership and there was no interruption in its work," said the former premier.

On Oct 30 last year, Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah (now Court of Appeal Judge) ordered Najib to enter his defence, ruling that the prosecution had successfully established a prima facie case against him. 

Najib is facing 25 charges, including four counts of using his position to secure RM2.3 billion of 1MDB funds in bribes and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same amount.

The trial resumes tomorrow.

-- BERNAMA