Full transcript of Najib's calls after DOJ dropped 2016 bombshell

When then attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali declared in a January 2016 press conference that then prime minister Najib Abdul Razak had committed no wrongdoing in the 1MDB scandal, it appeared to be the end of any major headaches for the then prime minister regarding the investment firm.

But six months later, in July, one of 1MDB's business partners, Abu Dhabi's International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC), dragged 1MDB to the International Arbitration Court over a US$6.5 billion dispute.

Then, a month later, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) dropped a bombshell when it filed civil forfeiture suits aimed at seizing billions allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB.

While Najib's involvement was veiled under the Malaysian Official 1 (MO1) codename, his stepson Riza Aziz was left exposed as the DOJ sought to seize funds channelled to his movie company Red Granite Pictures.

A series of phone recordings sent to the MACC anonymously earlier this month revealed that after the DOJ suits, Najib had made a series of calls while his wife Rosmah Mansor grew irate with the situation with the MACC.

MACC chief Latheefa Koya said forensic analysis showed that the recordings are genuine and that it raised serious issues about the fabrication of false evidence through foreign aid and connivance.

Besides Najib and Rosmah, those whose voices were heard in the recordings include United Arab Emirates (UAE) crown prince Mohammed Zayed Al Nahyan, his associate Khaldoon Al Mubarak, and Najib's aide Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin.

Malaysiakini has reproduced the transcripts of the calls, in which the parts in Bahasa Malaysia have been translated.

July 22, 2016, 8.54pm - Najib Abdul Razak calls Mohammed Zayed Al Nahyan [Click here for audio recording]

Mohammed: Mr Prime Minister. How are you, sir?

Najib: I’m delighted to speak to you, Your Highness. I’m well, Alhamdulillah, and I hope you and your family, they are well?

Mohammed: Everybody is just swell, Mr Prime Minister. How is the family doing?

Najib: Good, family is well here. Of course, we are experiencing a bit of dark cloud as a result of yesterday’s announcement by the Department of Justice.

That’s why Your Highness, it is important for us to resolve this impasse with respect to 1MDB and IPIC as soon as possible, so that we put closure as soon as possible, because it is embarrassing to both countries, embarrassing Malaysia, embarrassing UAE as well, and personalities who are close to you.

So, I wish that we can find a solution as soon as possible. It’s difficult for me to talk to you on the phone. Would it be possible for us to meet as soon as possible so that we can work this out?

Mohammed: Mr Prime Minister, it will be fine with me but the only catch is I’m probably with (UAE President) Sheikh Khalifah (Zayed Al Nahyan), who is in medical treatment now. He’s gone for a check-up for about five days and (inaudible)... after tomorrow I’m still with him, but is it okay after that?

Najib: Where will Your Highness be?

Mohammed: I’ll be at home, in about seven to eight days here.

Najib: Seven to eight days? Umm, mmm, mmm, mmm.

Mohammed: If you think this is too late I can arrange something else. I can let Khaldoon talk to you, wherever you are. Very under the radar and sit with you and talk about it. He’s somebody that I trust (inaudible)...

Najib: Where will Your Highness be on Sunday?

Mohammed: On Sunday, I will be leaving Sheikh Khalifah. On Sunday, actually yes.

Najib: You’re leaving what time on Sunday?

Mohammed: Uhhh, I’m not sure.

Najib: You’re not sure. Ummm.

Mohammed: Not in the morning.

Najib: Not in the morning? Would it be possible if I were to meet you on Sunday morning?

Mohammed: I can arrange that, I can arrange that, Mr Prime Minister.

Najib: I’ll fly over on Saturday and then be with you Sunday morning, and after our discussion, Your Highness, you can proceed with your trip. 

This is very urgent, actually, if we don’t resolve this, the matter could escalate, you know.

Mohammed: Okay. Can I call you back in about three hours or four hours?

Najib: Uhh okay. Ummm, sure you can call me, say, 11.30 our time, which is about two-and-a-half hours' time, is that possible?

Mohammed: Yeah, yeah, definitely. Definitely, I’ll call you before that.

Najib: Thank you, Your Highness.

July 22, 2016, 11.33pm - Mohammed Zayed Al Nahyan calls Najib Abdul Razak [Click here for audio recording]

Najib: Yes?

Man: Ready to speak with His Highness?

Najib: Yes, I’m ready. Yeah, I’m ready, yeah.

Mohammed: Mr Prime Minister, I apologise for being late.

Najib: (Laugh) You’re very prompt, not to worry, Your Highness.

Mohammed: Mr Prime Minister, I have consulted my guys here and I’m fine with Sunday but the catch is (inaudible)... It will be unproductive for you and me (to meet), so I try to find another solution.

Mr Prime Minister, Khaldoon has the full authority from me. I really genuinely want to find a solution to this problem.

Najib: Okay.

Mohammed: I think it is very important that somebody meets you. (Inaudible) is fine with you and fine with us, I think we should go for it. I don’t want to push this anymore, it is in our interest, Mr Prime Minister, to solve it.

Najib: Yes, it is our mutual interest, Your Highness. So you don’t think I should fly over? Do you think people will know about it?

Mohammed: I think... will know about it, yes.

Najib: I see. Uhh… mmm, mmm, mmm. But we really need to resolve this.

Mohammed: I can let him go there.

Najib: You want Khaldoon to come here?

Mohammed: I think Khaldoon can go there, Mr Prime Minister, and your minister can come and...

Najib: When can Khaldoon come here?

Mohammed: I will call him now. He’s in California for a visit, but I can let him snap and shoot from there.

Najib: I also have this personal request, Your Highness.

Mohammed: Yes?

Najib: That relates to Riza (above). You know, my son.

Mohammed: Yes.

Najib: And his movie. You see the problem is relatively small. There can be an agreement with Sheikh Mansour to have a loan agreement signed, and he will pay back according to his schedule. That will show that it is a legitimate financing package and it is not money laundering.

Mohammed: I see.

Najib: At the moment, he is under a bit of pressure in America, and we are worried about him. They are making him a scapegoat, you see.

I would appreciate, the big package looks positive, we can find a solution I believe, uhh. I would appreciate if that agreement can be signed quickly by Sheikh Mansour or whoever is designated by Sheikh Mansour, so that he can begin repayment.

He’s paid back some, he continues to repay, so that it would appear as a legitimate loan agreement, which it is, you see. Because when he received it, the banks cleared the source of money so he was not aware at all where it came from.

So I don’t want him to be a victim when he was totally unaware of the source of money. He genuinely believed that it was from Aabar and under the instruction of Sheikh Mansour, you see.

Remember, Your Highness, also talked about helping him when he was in Abu Dhabi?

Mohammed: (Inaudible).

Najib: That’s right. So I need that agreement to be sorted out quickly, Your Highness, that’s my special request. As soon as possible, if Monday or Tuesday we need this to have the agreement signed. Can you suggest how we can do that?

Mohammed: (Inaudible) Mr Prime Minister (inaudible)... if it within my power (inaudible). I understand that this is your son and I really want to...

Najib: Yeah, that’s right, because he is totally innocent. All he wanted was to make movies, and there was an offer of a loan from Sheikh Mansour and your side from Aabar, and also you mentioned it. Remember? When we had lunch at the restaurant about supporting him so he thought everything was fine, you see. Now, they’re trying to connect him with 1MDB money, which totally… came as a shock to him.

Mohammed: Mr Prime Minister, InsyaAllah.

Najib: But time is of the essence, Your Highness, we cannot leave it a day longer, we don’t want the Department of Justice to suddenly move against him, you see.

Mohammed: (Inaudible).

Najib: Thank you, Your Highness. Where do we go from here then? He’s got all the documents with him.

Mohammed: (Inaudible) Khaldoon right now. I will see how we can, (inaudible)... to see how they can arrange anything immediately.

Najib: He’s got the number of Amhari. If he can call Amhari straight away, and then, can we work out we can resolve this?

Mohammed: Mr Prime Minister, believe me, I want to finish this. This is bad and I don’t want...

Najib: Thank you, Your Highness. This is very bad, it could lead to something very very unforeseen and catastrophic for me, for our government, and also for you on your side.

So, it is to our mutual interest, being so close, we need to resolve this. It’s not something that is not impossible. It is something that is within our means to resolve.

Mohammed: I agree.

Najib: So, what do you want me to do, Your Highness, just uh...

Mohammed: I’ll (inaudible)... Amhari, Mr Prime Minister.

Najib: You’ll call Amhari? Okay, all right. I will alert Amhari straight away. Thank you.

July 23, 2016, 2.49am - Najib Abdul Razak calls Khaldoon Al Mubarak [Click here for audio recording]

Najib: Mr Khaldoon?

Khaldoon: Yes?

Najib: This is Najib, Datuk Najib once again.

Khaldoon: Oh hi, Mr Prime Minister. How are you?

Najib: (Inaudible) Has Riza...

Khaldoon: I’ve spoken to him and we agreed that we’re going to meet tomorrow morning.

Najib: Tomorrow morning? Okay, good. Do you want him alone or do you want him with a lawyer?

Khaldoon: No, I think better for this we meet alone. After I meet with him alone, we can... I can decide how we can move to the next level, but I just need for the first sit down... just at least for me to understand directly from him what needs to be done.

Najib: Can you convey to him? I’m trying to get him, but he’s in a meeting with his lawyer. I don’t want him to spoil this thing if he brings his lawyer because the lawyer is rather attached to him, doesn’t...'

Khaldoon: (Inaudible) What do you recommend? What do you prefer? If you want, I can bring a lawyer with me also. That way we can have the conversation with the lawyers. But I think better for the first time to be one-on-one.

Najib: Yes, one-on-one better.

Khaldoon: I will...

Najib: You can call a lawyer but not for the first meet. Just the two of you would be better.

Khaldoon: Okay, don’t worry about it.

Najib: Okay, sorry about...

Khaldoon: Okay. Thank you, sir.

July 27, 2016, 12.46am - Rosmah Mansor calls Najib Abdul Razak [Click here for audio recording]

Man: Datin?

Rosmah: Ha, where Datuk?

Man: One moment.

Najib: Yeah?

Rosmah: Hi.

Najib: Hi.

Rosmah: Apa cerita? (What's the story) Can I advise you? (Shouting) Can I advise you on something?

Najib: Hang on... Yes, okay, anything?

Rosmah: You please don't... Listen to me. They tell you to slow down Abu Kassim and Abu Kassim is making statements all over the place (inaudible)... convention, taking pictures with Pak Lah and what not.

They are making him, (he is) looking like a hero, and you are the villain. And all these five people, can't they see their first priority is you, not anybody else?

Najib: Who are these people?

Rosmah: Your office lah. Shahlan (Ismail) is convinced, Tengku (Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad) is convinced, Amhari is convinced. It's like we're all villains.

Najib: No, no, no. I allowed (Senator Khairul) Azwan (Harun) to make the statement... the impact is good.

Rosmah: No, Azwan, okay, fine. Today (former MACC chief) Abu Kassim (Mohamed) is in Berita Harian, and they allowed Abu Kassim to take a picture (above) with Pak Lah (former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi).

And he has got the cheek to thank Pak Lah and everyone else, besides you. That's not fair.

Najib: Hmm, hmm, understand.

Rosmah: (Inaudible).

Najib: No, I’ve already signed the letter for Dzul's (Dzulkifli Ahmad) appointment.

Rosmah: And (former Senate president) Abu Zahar (Ujang) can make that statement. Oh, must be (inaudible)... we know they have lobbied.

Najib: Abu Zahar. Don't make a statement, leave it be.

Rosmah: Yeah, but Abu Zahar in Berita Harian. Does he know what he is talking about or not?

Najib: That's the thing. Okay, okay.

Rosmah: I don't like this. Darling, you are the prime minister. You should take charge, not anybody else.

Najib: Yup, I understand.

Rosmah: And you’ve got goons around you to advise you.

Because I told Shahlan, if you want to help, why didn't you help last week when the moment the thing happened? You should have come, approach me ‘Datin how can I help?’ (Inaudible)... After one week, I said you don't start telling me (inaudible)... I don't understand.

Because someone lodged a complaint against Abu Kassim - he’s in trouble - oh, then only you come and want to speak. Why didn't you speak one week ago?

Najib: Hmm, hmm.

Rosmah: For a week, we have pain in our hearts, bodies, and mind.

Najib: Hmm, hmm, hmm.

Rosmah: Hmm.

Najib: Hmm.

Rosmah: So, I told Amhari the thing is not difficult. Just say that, withdraw the arbitration (inaudible)... They have to trust us as much as we trust them.

Najib: And that's why Amhari told me. You go and talk to Khaldoon. Try to convince him this, there is no point in saying this. There is no point going for arbitration. I said if you go for arbitration, everybody is going to get hurt.

You see, I can speak to the crown prince. The crown prince, (inaudible)... will go back ‘oh, I need to consult Khaldoon' and we're back to that point.

Rosmah: You can’t blame him, that is his culture. So we have to work around the culture. Maybe Khaldoon should come here and talk to you and Amhari and settle it. That’s how I feel. Not just talking over the telephone, it doesn't work.

Najib: We can invite him here, yeah, sure.

Rosmah: Invite him and sort it out once and for all. He knows us, not that he doesn't. He has eaten at our home and all.

Najib: That's a good idea, we can invite him here. Sure, I’ll tell him that.

Rosmah: You and Amhari sit down and sort it out (inaudible)... and in the meantime, we can also sort out Riza.

Riza's problem is not difficult. His problem is just that somewhere along the line the thing is not completed, that's it.

Najib: Sure, sure.

Rosmah: I think the best thing is to tell Khaldoon. He can bring his lawyers and come down here. I think a lot of things can be resolved.

Rather than having Amhari (below) speak to him when he is in LA (Los Angeles), day waiting for night, night waiting for day, you know.

Najib: I can suggest to Amhari, invite him here.

Rosmah: Then we can tell the crown prince, Khaldoon is here to talk to us and settle it all once and for all. We’ve already wasted one week.

Najib: Yeah, yeah, we can invite him here. It's not wasted, a lot of things are moving already. These people want to see movement on the other side, the Chinese side. The Chinese side is moving already, you see.

Rosmah: That's why darling, not many things can talk on the phone.

Najib: We can invite him here.

Rosmah: Invite him here immediately, then we tell the crown prince, tell him that Khaldoon is coming here we resolve (inaudible)...

I know for sure Sheikh Mansour wants to solve this, (inaudible)... I know the crown prince wants to solve this. But they are not the kind of people who sit down and talk to you, see.

Najib: Hmm. Okay, we can do that.

Rosmah: They (inaudible) have money only.

Najib: I’ll speak to Amhari after this. I’ll tell him to invite Khaldoon.

Rosmah: Or, or, you talk to Khaldoon. It's okay lah, darling, we don't have to (inaudible)... Get this sorted out. Please come here, solve everything at one go (inaudible)...

Right now, it's day waiting for night, night waiting for day, there's a 24-hour gap.

Najib: Okay, okay, okay.

Rosmah: Please darling.

Najib: I’ll speak to Amhari.

July 29, 2016, 12.14am - Najib Abdul Razak speaks to Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin [Click here for audio recording]

Najib: You’ve managed to speak to him (Khaldoon)?

Amhari: Yes, I’ve got an update for you. He’s suggesting - conclusion, he’s suggesting when he is in Abu Dhabi because he is very, very concerned about where he is, and you know, all these calls.

He’s getting a bit, you know, worried about all these calls going around. He is not comfortable.

(He said) ‘So at the very least, please tell your principal (leader) that although I don’t agree, I think it’s best to protect our principals that we don’t speak, but if he insists, then at least do it when I’m back in Abu Dhabi.’

And then he talked about how he helped, even while on holiday and all, for solution number two, so he is a bit stressed up - a bit wound up, not stressed. We're still laughing about it, but uh, he's a bit wound up, lah.

Najib: The thing is… uhh, this is difficult, now he doesn't want to meet, did he say...

Amhari: He said, he said meeting up is very dangerous. And they’re still talking about us establishing communication back channels, and he said: 'The whole idea was to bring the beef, and we stick to that. And even with option two on the table, but that option on two (was done) while I was on holiday I helped out (inaudible)...'.

And he said that one is ongoing, and is going to happen - I think in the next two days - so that’s going to happen.

But to speak to him, he said - he is just very worried, (saying) it's very dangerous, afraid of leaks and all.

(He said) 'At the very least when I’m back in Abu Dhabi, we can have a conversation (about) this with your principal', that's what he said, lah.

He was quite (inaudible)...

Najib: The second thing he will see to it that it happens... that second part?

Amhari: That second part, he said is that the two players will meet up and this guy will come back and report to him what is the deal on the table and see whether he can work on that, lah.

Najib: The second part is simple. It's just for Sheikh Mansour to sign a letter to say that amount was a loan. That’s it.

Amhari: Yeah, but I’m sure his lawyers will then advise him the whatever, the repercussions are and so on. But he says whatever he can help based on the two principals' conversations, he will help. That’s fine.

(Khaldoon said) 'But please tell your principal, for the principal to talk to me is very risky, and we should be...' - then he lectured me - 'we should protect our principals you know, it's very risky.'

Najib: (Inaudible) but we want things to happen... if things don't happen now, it will be difficult.

Amhari: But Arabs are like that sometimes.

Najib: He’s dragging the whole thing, we're in a difficult spot.

Amhari: Hmm, but it’s okay...

Najib: It's okay for them. We are more exposed than them.

Amhari: True, true.

Najib: They're not a democracy, they can sit...

Amhari: Without changing anything, right?

Najib: Not a thing.

Amhari: But uh, well, I don’t think whatever he said is entirely is, you know, being fair.

I think we have a case but we need to manage his situation. He said he was on holiday and still helped. His worries, he's really worried about all these leaks.

He said: 'If this goes out, then it’s very difficult for me to work, even when you come, it came out in the paper, I'm sure it’s not from you because you don’t... but somebody leaked it. 

'Who is sharing all these, and I’m not comfortable, but I discounted it. In fact, I wasn’t comfortable with it but I discounted it. I still carried on but all these things we need to protect.'

He is really worried about this, so we have to really protect it.

Najib: Hmm, hmm, hmm.

Amhari: So, sorry...

Najib: No worries, it’s okay. You tried your best, (inaudible)... it is really difficult.

Amhari: But on Saturday, I can arrange a conversation with you. Saturday evening or night.

Najib: At least, settle that thing first, the second part...

Amhari: The second part of their meeting.

Najib: Okay.

Read the first part of the transcript here.

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