Zeti Akthar Aziz has denied former premier Najib Abdul Razak's accusation that she was aware of the RM2.6 billion in his personal bank accounts, according to Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng.

Lim said the former Bank Negara governor mentioned this to him when the pair met at the Finance Ministry's Hari Raya open house this morning.

"Zeti was upset and she said this was completely false, baseless and not true," he told reporters in Putrajaya.

The finance minister said he had suggested to Zeti to consult her lawyers in order to take action against the allegation.

"I am certain that she is doing that. Let us wait for her decision to do so. I think we should always let due process take its course," he added.

In an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini last week, Najib claimed Zeti was aware of the RM2.6 billion in his account prior to the 13th general election, but did not question him on the matter.

Najib insisted that the money was a donation from the Saudi royal family and he had used the money for campaign purposes. 

"If Bank Negara is in the know of these funds and they had an inkling or some knowledge that there could be some doubts about the source of the funds, I expected them to tell me.

“But nothing of that sort happened. So I assumed all along that it was fine,” he said.

'Let people decide'

Meanwhile, Lim said he has the utmost confidence in Zeti's integrity and credibility.

"If you want to compare Najib and Zeti, who do you believe?

"Who has and who has not amassed Hermes bags? Who has and who has not jewellery worth RM200 million? Who has and who has not RM116 million in cash?

"I think if you compare Zeti and Najib, I will believe Zeti. Let the Malaysian people decide," he added.

Zeti, who retired in 2016 after serving 16 years as governor of the central bank, is now a member of the Council of Eminent Persons (CEP) formed by Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad after the May 9 general election.

Last Friday, Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) announced that Zeti had been appointed as its group chairperson.

RELATED REPORTS

Najib requested me to state he did nothing wrong, reveals Zeti on RM2.6b

'At some point you'll get my comment' – Zeti on Najib's allegation

Guan Eng: Zeti upset, accused Najib of false claim on RM2.6b