Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad has dismissed the Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister’s apparent U-turn on the source of former premier Najib Abdul Razak’s infamous RM2.6 billion donation as “immaterial”.

This is because the government “knows” that the money is indeed from 1MDB.

At a press conference at the Bersatu headquarters tonight, Mahathir confirmed that Saudi minister Adel Ahmed Al-Jubeir had called on him recently and had denied that the donation had come from Riyadh.

When pressed on why Adel had contradicted his 2016 statement – where he confirmed that the donation had indeed been from Saudi royalty – the prime minister said he did not inquire further.

Asked if the denial was done to appease the Pakatan Harapan government, Mahathir answered “maybe, but I don’t know what he was thinking”.

Following a bilateral meeting with Najib in Istanbul in 2016, Adel (photo) had told the press that the RM2.6 billion had been a “genuine donation”.

"We are aware of the donation and it is a genuine donation with nothing expected in return. We are also fully aware that the attorney-general of Malaysia has thoroughly investigated the matter and found no wrongdoing.

"So, as far as we are concerned, the matter is closed," he was quoted as saying by Bernama.

'It comes from 1MDB'

Today, when asked further which of Adel’s statements on the donation were to be believed, Mahathir contended that providing documentation of the transaction was more important.

“It is immaterial.

“[...] What is important is documentary proof that the money comes from 1MDB or from Saudi (royalty).

“You can’t transfer large sums of money without (any) record. If they say it is from Saudi Arabia, show the records. If they say it is not from Saudi Arabia, we’ll have to find out where it comes from.

“As far as we know, it comes from 1MDB,” he said.

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has affirmed that the sum had originated from 1MDB and ended up in Najib's personal bank accounts before being transferred to another account controlled by Jho Low.