Saudi foreign minister u-turns, now says it is donation

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir today admitted that the donation to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak indeed came from Saudi Arabia.

"We are aware of the donation and it is a genuine donation with nothing expected in return. We are also fully aware that the attorney-general of Malaysia has thoroughly investigated the matter and found no wrongdoing.

"So, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed," Adel told Malaysian reporters in Istanbul yesterday.

Earlier, Adel held a bilateral meeting with Najib on the sidelines of the 13th Summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali had, on Jan 26, cleared Najib of any wrongdoing in relation to investigations into the SRC International Sdn Bhd and the RM2.6 billion alleged to have been deposited into the prime minister's personal bank accounts.

Apandi said the investigations revealed that the amount deposited was RM2.08 billion, and it was a personal donation from the Saudi royal family in 2013, of which RM2.03 billion was returned to the contributor the same year.

- Bernama

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