Najib To Guan Eng Enough With The 1mdb Tai Chi

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Former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak today accused Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng of blaming everything on 1MDB
Referring to Lim's address to the Dewan Rakyat on the illicit outflow of funds today, Najib accused the minister of pinning the problem on the troubled investment firm
"When Beluran MP Ronald Kiandee asked what measures have been taken to prevent (the illicit outflow of funds), Lim (performed) tai chi (and blamed) 1MDB," wrote Najib on his Facebook page today
Najib said Lim's reply was disingenuous because illicit outflow of funds was caused by transfer mispricing by firms to avoid taxes
He also referenced a report by Washington-based Global Financial Integrity on the subject. Najib's administration had dismissed such reports in the past while Bank Negara claimed that the amount was overstated.  However, Najib claimed that his administration had implemented GST in 2015 to address the problem
"He (Lim) replied nonchalantly that (the problem was caused) by 1MDB and fought with other MPs when they asked for a serious answer
"Is this the standards that we should expect from a minister?" he asked
Meanwhile, Najib challenged Lim to answer two questions
Firstly, he asked how 1MDB's RM30 billion debt, at a time when the size of the economy was RM1.35 trillion, could do more damage the RM33 billion in forex losses in the early 1990s didn't, in view of the fact that the economy at the time was only RM180 billion
Secondly, he asked how 1MDB's RM30 billion debt could destroy the country at a time when the federal government easily could compel billions in payments from Petronas
Najib again reiterated that while 1MDB has problems, the company can repay its debts once the payments from International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) were received and that the value of TRX and Bandar Malaysia was realised
He said it was easy to blame everything on 1MDB but what the government must do now is prevent companies from transferring their money abroad."Answer (Parliament) in the right manner. This is not a playground. (You are) running the government of a country."Najib is currently facing multiple money laundering charges involving 1MDB and the firm's former subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd
Recently, he was accused of tampering the auditor-general's report on 1MDB. He has not addressed the tampering claims.  - Mkini

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