RM2.6b case: Would MACC question Najib as suspect or witness? asks veteran newsman

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) should first establish if Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak is a suspect or a witness before recording his statement in the investigations into the RM2.6 billion in his personal accounts, said a veteran newsman.

Datuk A. Kadir Jasin, the former New Straits Times Group editor-in-chief, said the answer to the question would determine the line of questioning, when Najib is summoned by the anti-graft body to give his statement.

"What is Mohd Najib’s status in the investigations? Is he a witness or a suspect?" Kadir wrote in a blog post.

"This is important because it determines the line of questioning. Of course a witness could end up being a suspect and, likewise, a suspect could become the crown’s witness."

This comes after the Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali told The Malaysian Insider in an exclusive interview that MACC has until the end of this year to record Najib’s statement on the "donation" money he had received.

He said he had directed the anti-graft agency to complete the investigations into former 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd and the RM2.6 billion donation before the year end as he took the public's concerns seriously.

Najib, Apandi said, has been informed of this, and the prime minister agreed he would have to be questioned.

This has received scathing remarks from social media users, with many expressing doubt that Najib would really be investigated nor that the probe would bring those responsible to justice.

However, Kadir (left) said the A-G should be given the benefit of the doubt, but also asked if the MACC would be given the independence and liberty to question the prime minister. "I would give him (Apandi) the benefit of the doubt. He may be genuinely serious about wanting the MACC to record Najib’s statements.

"The big question mark is would the MACC be given the mandate to go beyond just recording Najib’s statement? Would it be given a free hand to interrogate the Prime Minister?"

The veteran journalist also said Apandi's choice in awarding an exclusive interview to The Malaysian Insider (TMI) was also "significant", as it showed he was serious about his orders to MACC.

"Apart from the need to clear his own name, the choice of the independent portal as a medium suggests that he is serious about his instruction to the MACC.

"Surely he knows that TMI is not likely to dance to his tune. If he goes back on his words, the portal would go to town to unclothe him," he added.

Apandi's actions, Kadir said, suggested that he must have realised the gravity of the situation after reading through 1MDB investigation files and speaking to investigators.

"Personally, I believe that after seeing the files and speaking to investigators of the 1MDB, SRC International and the RM2.6-billion 'donation' cases, he now knows the truth and realises the gravity of the situation.

"He must have realised too that his every move is being closely watched and judged by his own peers. Being a former judge, he knows that justice must not only be done but seen to be done," Kadir said.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) had on July 2 published an article quoting an “unnamed investigator” saying that almost US$700mil (RM2.6 billion) was banked into Najib's personal accounts before the 13th general election in 2013.

Najib has denied taking any state funds for personal gain but on August 5, MACC said it would question the prime minister over the donation, which the commission established came from a Middle Eastern donor.

But as recently as last month, the government had yet to announce when the prime minister would be quizzed, with Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Paul Low saying MACC will call up Najib “when the time comes”.

Critics have accused the authorities of deliberately dragging their feet over the investigation, while the Conference of Rulers last month urged the government to complete the investigations related to 1MDB as soon as possible.