Attorney-general (AG) Mohamed Apandi Ali’s eagerness to close the case on Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak’s donation issue on account of a news report is “flabbergasting”, said an Opposition MP.

“Apandi should explain why he is prepared to rely on the ‘reported statement’ by the Saudi foreign minister that the billions of ringgit deposited into Najib’s personal banking accounts were ‘a genuine donation’ from Saudi Arabia ‘with nothing expected in return’, without even confirming that the Saudi foreign minister had in fact made such a statement.”

Gelang Patah MP Lim Kit Siang said this considering Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir’s statement last week was a complete about-turn from an earlier statement reported in the New York Times .

“Did Apandi seek an explanation from Al-Jubeir for his U-turn statement on the very same issue in a matter of two short months, to find out the reason for such a sudden change of mind?

“Was Al-Jubeir telling a lie in early February? If the Saudi foreign minister could tell a lie in early February, what is there to stop him from lying in his latest statement?” asked Lim in a statement today.

Following reports on Al-Jubeir’s reply to a question by Malaysian journalists in Istanbul last Thursday, Umno leaders and government officials have urged the public to put an end to the controversy over the RM2.6 billion The Wall Street Journal last year revealed to have been deposited into Najib’s personal accounts.

Following the Saudi official’s latest remark, the AG subsequently declared there is no further necessity to probe the donation.

“This is because there is already a statement from the donor, so what is there left to be investigated,” Apandi was quoted telling Utusan Malaysia yesterday.

“Surely, these are relevant and pertinent questions for an AG before deciding that there is no need for further investigation into Najib’s RM2.6 billion ‘donation’ scandal?” said Lim.

Saudi claim 'gospel truth'?

He said Apandi should explain why he is taking the Saudi official’s statement as “gospel truth”.

He said Apandi’s decision-making process is “particularly flabbergasting” as he seems to dismiss two recent developments in the scandal as “completely irrelevant and inconsequential”.

These, said Lim, were International Petroleum Investment Company’s (IPIC) statement on April 11 to the London Stock Exchange denying any links to the British Virgin Islands-incorporated firm Aabar Investments PJS Limited said to have received money from 1MDB, and The Wall Street Journal’s reports concerning RM4.2 billion wrongly paid to the BVI firm.

“It is indeed most extraordinary that while some 10 countries are conducting investigations into various aspects of Najib’s twin mega scandals, we have an AG whose first remit is NOT to probe […] but to maintain there is no need for any re-investigation,” said the veteran lawmaker.

He said other countries seem to be more diligent and conscientious in wanting to investigate “a host of dubious financial malpractices […] while the Attorney-General’s Chambers in Malaysia is blissfully unconcerned”.

“Can Apandi explain why?” asked Lim.

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Report: Saudi minister doesn't think Najib's RM2.6b is a donation