KINIBIZ In 2015, ‘donations’ took on new dimensions in the Malaysian lexicon. There are still more questions than answers about the RM2.6 billion transfer - purportedly from a mysterious Arab donor - directly to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

The shocking expose by the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) last July is arguably the biggest bombshell ever dropped on a sitting Malaysian prime minister in recent memory.

The WSJ story revealed that Najib had received US$700 million (roughly RM2.6 billion at last July’s exchange rates) in his AmIslamic Bank accounts. These funds were transferred through several banks and companies, allegedly linked to 1MDB.

Najib never denied transfer

Although Najib initially threatened a lawsuit for the WSJ expose, no legal action has materialised so far. WSJ has stood firm by its story.

Since the RM2.6 billion story broke, the allegations stated in the WSJ story have never been directly disputed by the prime minister, who has only claimed that he did not take any funds for personal gain.

Najib also stated vaguely that “I did not betray the country” and these allegations are “political sabotage”.

This month, Deputy Prime Minister Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi told Parliament that the RM2.6 billion was a political donation. Zahid said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) confirmed this and had identified the donor.

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Tomorrow: Will Najib survive the RM2.6 billion fallout?