Since the 1MDB probe picked up its pace, one question still remains in every Malaysian’s mind – when will the culprits be prosecuted?
While Tun Mahathir had requested for us to be patient, today (19 June 2018), he shared some of the possible charges that can be made against Dato’ Sri Najib Razak, the prime suspect of the 1MDB probe, if he was prosecuted.
The Malay Mail wrote that embezzlement and bribery are some of the charges that the authorities are planning to charge Najib with.
In an interview with Reuters, Tun M said that the authorities “have an almost perfect case” to prosecute everyone who abused the billions of ringgits in the 1MDB fund.
He also noted that Najib is the main suspect because he was the founder of 1MDB.
“He was totally responsible for 1MDB. Nothing can be done without his signature, and we have his signature on all the deals entered into by 1MDB. Therefore, he is responsible,” said Tun M.
In attempts to hear both sides of the story, The Malay Mail reached out to Najib’s spokesman but it wasn’t successful.
Assuring that Najib will be prosecuted, Tun M said that they are going to place “a number of charges” against him. Not only that, he will make sure that the charges would be based on Najib’s abuse of his power during his time as the prime minister.
Listing the possible charges, Tun M explained,
“Embezzlement, stealing government money, losing government money and a number of other charges. Using government money to bribe. All those things.”
Tun M added that Rosmah was also being investigated for the 1MDB case.
He was quoted as saying,
“Some of the money is believed to have gone to her, lots of money.”
“We know about this, but finding the paper trail is a bit more difficult in this case because she doesn’t sign any papers. Najib signs a lot of papers.”
He added that he intends for the first arrest of the 1MDB case to be made soon and “hopefully” a trial will begin by year-end.
The 92-year-old prime minister continued,
“We are working as hard as possible at a furious pace. We think that we already have almost a perfect case.”
“When we go to the courts, we will have clear evidence of the wrongdoing. We cannot afford to lose.”
Lastly, Tun M noted that Jho Low is also the central figure of the 1MDB scandal as the Malaysian financier shares a close bond with Najib and his family.
That said, it looks like the case is about to be concluded soon enough. It’s obvious that the authorities are working as hard as possible to bring in enough evidence to prosecute the wrongdoers. So, let us all be a little more patient and give way for the investigators to do their job peacefully!
Also read: Jho Low Wants To Meet With 1MDB Investigators, But Not in Malaysia