PETALING JAYA: The Edge publisher and group CEO Ho Kay Tat (pic) has had his statement recorded by the police over the publication’s possession of documents related to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Ho said all the documents have been handed to Bank Negara and the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) to assist in their investigations.
“I also gave a statement to CCID,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
Ho said The Edge came to be in possession of the documents pertaining to 1MDB’s joint-venture with PetroSaudi International after meeting with someone who was willing to shed light on the matter earlier this year.
He did not reveal if the person was Xavier Justo, the ex-PetroSaudi executive who has been arrested by Thai police for attempting to blackmail his former employer.
Justo is alleged to have met with senior opposition leaders and media owners, including Ho and Sarawak Report’s Clare Rewcastle-Brown.
“This person showed us thousands and thousands of emails and document attachments. We read scores of them and were convinced of their authenticity because of the sheer volume and the email trails.
“We subsequently had an IT forensic expert confirm that there was no reason to worry that they were fakes.
“What we read shocked us. What was supposed to be a joint-venture that will bring economic benefits to the country was nothing more than a scheme to scam billions of ringgit from Malaysia by a small group of Malaysians and their foreign partners,” Ho said.
He said the publication could have easily “drop the matter like a hot potato and walk away”, but had a public duty to uncover the truth, adding that there was no sinister motive involved.
“We were not involved in any theft, we did not pay anyone, and we did not tamper any of the emails and documents we were given.
“In fact, we have secured the data so that no one can tamper with it. This can be independently verified by the authorities.
“There is no political agenda or conspiracy in what we have done. In fact, we have engaged with various politicians and government officials who have sought our help to get a better understanding of what had happened and the situation 1MDB is in today,” Ho added.
On Tuesday, the media group said it was prepared to go to court over its latest expose on 1MDB, which also implicated businessman Low Taek Jho and PetroSaudi International.
It is understood that the documents sighted by The Edge have since been handed over to the special task force investigating 1MDB’s finances.
