Most Read
Most Commented
Read more like this
mk-logo
News
'Saudi royalty put no conditions on RM2.6b donation'
Published:  Mar 14, 2016 3:53 PM
Updated: 12:45 PM

PARLIAMENT Putrajaya has reiterated that the Saudi royalty gave, without conditions, the RM2.6 billion as a personal donation to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.

"The personal fund was given to the prime minister from the Saudi royal family without any condition.

"In August 2013, a total of US$620 million (RM2.6 billion) was returned by the prime minister as the fund was not used," said Azalina Othman Said, the Minister in the Pirme Minister's Department.

She was responding to Hee Loy Sian (PKR-Petaling Jaya Selatan, photo), who asked for the identity of the donor and the purpose the money was given.

In a parliamentary reply last Thursday, Azalina said the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has confirmed that the Saudi royal family gave Najib the RM2.6 billion donation.

This statement came amid doubts following the revelation by attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali that a Saudi prince gave the money to Najib.

"In the RM2.6 billion case investigation, MACC had confirmed that the fund given to the prime minister personally indeed came from the Saudi royal family, based on testimonies by witnesses and supporting documents.

"Based on the overall facts and testimonies, the attorney-general was happy that there was no element of crime in these cases," Azalina said in the written reply to Mahfuz Omar (PAS-Pokok Sena).

PM cleared of any wrongdoing

Mahfuz had asked about the MACC investigation and the finding on the RM2.6 billion donation and the SRC International Sdn Bhd's RM42 million fund that was deposited into Najib's personal bank accounts.

In December last year, Najib had said there were no strings attached on the RM2.6 billion donation given to him.

A similar position was taken by Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid and Apandi, who cleared Najib of any wrongdoing.

The RM2.6 billion funds in Najib's personal bank accounts was first revealed in a report in The Wall Street Journal in July last year, which cited leaked investigation papers.

Najib later claimed that the money was a political donation from the Middle East.

MACC had concurred that the RM2.6 billion was a "donation" but pursued an investigation, together with a separate deposit of the RM42 million into the prime minister’s bank accounts from state-owned SRC International.

In a report last month, Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir denied that Najib had received a political donation, or that it originated from the Saudi government.

Instead, the minister said the money was from an unspecified "investment".

"It is (from) a private Saudi citizen, I believe, and the funds went to an investment in Malaysia," Al-Jubeir was quoted as saying in a report by The New York Times.

ADS