Fibs Tales And Creative Thinking In 1mdb Scandal

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There were times when no one could say a thing about Najib Abdul Razak on matters related to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) - he did no wrong. After all, the spin that was being presented was that a generous Arab prince donated RM2.6 billion to him to enable his party to stay in power.
Orders were given out to the media by his henchmen on the fourth floor - nothing on 1MDB except if they are favourable to the then prime minister.
Phrases like “I did not lie on the RM2.6 billion”; “It was a donation from a Saudi prince”; “I returned the money to the donor”; “I am not a thief, robber, nor crook”; and other wafflings that would now appear to make even the most honest cop blush.
Most editors obeyed the diktat to the letter except for one or two who quit in disgust over having to publish statements which bordered on absurdity. Most complied, however ridiculous they can appear to be to appease the master.
When the US Department of Justice (DOJ) released its findings on the thieving and money laundering of 1MDB funds, Najib’s officials and cronies went into a frenzy.
Now, with the truth being unravelled in courts in two corners of the world, it is time to look back on those heady days when no wiles or ruses were spared to keep the bad news away from the Malaysian public.
We take a look into the past to remind Malaysians of the lies and half-truths that were told to them.
Najib was described as innocent as a lamb and we also take a peek at what he had to say on two crucial issues – RM2.6 billion in his bank account and the US$23 million (RM97 million) diamond necklace.
Abdul Rahman Dahlan, then urban wellbeing, housing and local government minister (July 3, 2015)
“I am aghast at a foreign report quoting an ‘unnamed investigator’ and claiming that 1MDB funds were transferred into Prime Minister Najib’s personal accounts. I am shocked by the Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) wanton allegations.
“If they were dead serious about the authenticity, the reports should have named the sources. Quoting ‘unnamed investigator’ as a basis of a very defamatory report, WSJ has sunk to the level of gutter journalism of Sarawak Report.
“Come on WSJ... you can do better than that. I hope the publication was not using malicious and tampered documents in their report.”
Mohamed Apandi Ali, then attorney-general (June 16, 2017)
“We would like to express strong concerns at the insinuations that have been made against the prime minister of criminal wrongdoing.
“At no point in the civil claims is the prime minister named as a defendant or has been alleged to have committed any criminal wrongdoing.
“We also note that there has been no evidence from any investigation conducted by any law enforcement agency in various jurisdictions that show that money has been misappropriated from 1MDB; and that there have been no criminal charges against any individual for misappropriation of funds from 1MDB.
Former attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali1MDB in a statement (Jun 16, 2017)
“There is no proof to back the allegations by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding the misappropriation of 1MDB-linked funds.
“1MDB notes that the civil lawsuit does not contain any appendices with documentary proof or witness statements to support the allegations made by the DOJ.”
Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad, then press secretary to the prime minister (June 16, 2017)
“The government is concerned with the unnecessary and gratuitous naming of certain matters and individuals in the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) latest civil forfeiture suit filing.
“This is only relevant to domestic political manipulation and interference and suggests a motivation that goes beyond the objective of seizing assets.
“There have been numerous and extensive investigations by authorities into 1MDB, including by independent and bipartisan bodies such as the Public Accounts Committee, and no crime was found.
“The judicial process is not served by headline seeking. Malaysia stands firm in its support of transparency and good governance. That includes ensuring that accusations have a basis in fact, rather than smears briefed by political opponents.”
Salleh Said Keruak, then communications and multimedia minister (July 21, 2016)
“1MDB has been the subject of unprecedented politically-motivated attacks, the objectives of which were to unseat a democratically-elected head of government.
“So many of the allegations, like Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s remark that RM42 billion had gone missing, were later proven false – in this case by the bipartisan Public Accounts Committee.
“This means that any claims relating to 1MDB must be treated with caution, follow due legal process and adhere to the principle of innocent until proven guilty. No one should rush to judgement before the allegations are proven in court.
“After comprehensive investigations by many authorities, it has been confirmed that the funds were a donation from the royal family of Saudi Arabia – as stated by the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia on April 14 (2016).”
Former communications and multimedia minister Salleh Said KeruakMalaysian-born lawyer Quintin G Rozario, based in Brisbane, Australia (Aug 15, 2016)
“The civil suit filed by the DOJ to seize assets acquired with funds alleged to have been misappropriated from 1MDB is a conspiracy of lies to attack the Malaysian government.
“This is bully, what she (then US attorney-general Loretta Lynch) has done is bully. I would have to say that this is a conspiracy of lies to attack the country.
“There was no evidence of misappropriation of 1MDB funds as claimed in the recently filed lawsuit. They just made a bold statement. There is no evidence. They have been attacking people and making allegations without checking the facts.”
Abdul Aziz Ibrahim (July 22, 2016)
A total lack of communication with 1MDB in regard to the filing of civil forfeiture by the US DOJ, are among several features that intrigued him.
In his article published by the Malaysian Outlook portal, Aziz, who was a former special adviser to a United Nations secretary-general, questioned the method used in obtaining information, which he described as a “modern-day wonder”.
“How could anyone conduct a thorough and professional investigation without seeking and obtaining information from primary sources such as 1MDB officials and other relevant authorities, including Malaysian law officers?”
Former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda Kandasamy in an interview with BBC (July 22, 2016)
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, 1MDB president and CEO, Arul Kanda once again dismissed claims that company funds had ended up in the private accounts of Najib.
“The MACC has clearly stated that no funds from 1MDB went into the private accounts of the prime minister. This is a fact,” said Arul Kanda in the interview with Karishma Vaswani, BBC Asia’s business correspondent.
“And the MACC has also clearly stated the source of the funds, which is a private donor in the Middle East.
“1MDB has consistently maintained, no funds from 1MDB were ever transferred into the accounts of the prime minister,” Arul Kanda added.
Former 1MDB CEO Arul Kanda KandasamyNajib (Oct 27, 2018)
A UAE prince had purchased the 22-carat pink diamond pendant, which is linked to the 1MDB probe, for Rosmah Mansor, according to her husband and former prime minister Najib.
Speaking to Al Jazeera for its ‘101 East’ programme, Najib identified the prince as Sheikh Mansour Zayed, the deputy prime minister of UAE and vice-chairperson of UAE’s International Petroleum Investment Company.
When the programme’s host Mary Ann Jolley said that US$27 million originating from 1MDB was used to purchase the pendant for Rosmah after Najib returned US$620 million to an account linked to businessperson Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, the former premier grew “visibly irritated”.
Najib said Sheikh Mansour was a “close associate” of Low, who is wanted in Malaysia and other jurisdictions over 1MDB dealings, and that Rosmah never received the diamond.
Najib (Nov 6, 2018)
Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak has insisted that he did not lie about the RM2.6 billion donation that he had received in his personal bank account.
“I wish to clarify this issue because it has been manipulated and fully exploited to the point where it has become one of the contributing factors leading to BN’s defeat. I wish to emphasise that I have never lied on the issue of the RM2.6 billion donation,” he said in a Facebook live broadcast. - Mkini
R NADESWARAN is a veteran journalist and writes on bread-and-butter issues. Comments: [email protected]
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.

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