Most Read
Most Commented
Read more like this
mk-logo
News
PM threatens full force of law against critics
Published:  Jul 3, 2015 11:33 PM
Updated: 11:51 PM

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak today threatened to use the "full force of law" against critics who had accused him of stealing state funds.

 
He issued the ultimatum after accusing former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad of masterminding the allegations against him.
 
"Those who continue to mount these attacks should be prepared to face the consequences of their actions. 
 
"These gutter tactics - in some cases, criminal tactics - to overthrow the government will fail. 
 
"Where appropriate, they will be met with the full force of the law," he said in a statement tonight.

Najib was responding to a Wall Street Journal ( WSJ ) report earlier today which alleged the US$700 million in 1MDB's fund was deposited into the prime minister's private accounts.

Najib firmly stated that he had not taken any government money for personal gain and stressed that this was an attempt to oust him.

"It is now clear that false allegations such as these are part of a concerted campaign of political sabotage to topple a democratically elected prime minister.

"It’s a shame that these false attacks motivated by self interest come at a time of unique opportunity for Malaysia – with our chairmanship of Asean this year, and the prize of developed nation status around the corner," he said.

Najib said he was unfazed and will continue to focus on his work of nation-building.

In the latest allegation by WSJ , it alleged Najib's received almost US$700 million of 1MDB's funds shortly before the 13th General Election.

"By far, the largest transactions were two deposits of $620 million and $61 million in March 2013, during a heated election campaign in Malaysia, the documents show.

"The cash came from a company registered in the British Virgin Islands via a Swiss bank owned by an Abu Dhabi state fund.

"Another set of transfers, totaling $11.1 million, originated within the Malaysian government, according to the investigation.

"Investigators believe the money came from an entity known as SRC International Sdn Bhd, an energy company that originally was controlled by 1MDB but was transferred to the Finance Ministry in 2012," WSJ reported.

ADS