Najib: Dr M’s aide took RM10mil cash from me for GE13 in 2013
Wednesday, 27 Jun 20189:34 PM MYT
PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic) has alleged that “one of Mahathir's people” collected RM10mil in cash from him for the 13th general election back in 2013.
In an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini, the former premier described the person, who is a well-known swimmer, as one of the prime minister’s trusted aides.
According to Najib, the money was collected from his residence in Jalan Duta.
Though Najib revealed the name of the said aide, the online portal is withholding his identity pending his response.
In response to being reminded that the amount was recovered after the election, Najib said: “You will not know how much it (an election campaign) costs exactly. And you will not know as well how much people will contribute to you.”
“It is impossible to have a clean zero balance so to speak. In any case, when you fight an election, you have to spend pre-election, during election and post-election.
"Don't forget I was president of the party of Umno and BN with 13 component parties.
“Running a major party with three million members like Umno is an expensive affair. And again, it is on record, when Mahathir resigned, he handed over RM1.4 billion to (his successor) Abdullah (Ahmad) Badawi in assets and cash.
"That is on record. So when you consider the context, it is a fraction of the amount,” he added.
However, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad did not hand over RM1.4bil in cash.
When alerted to this fact, Najib said: “Yeah, there was some cash, but during election time, you don't transact using the banking system because money is required immediately by the party.”
But why was the RM116mil found in 26 different currencies?
Najib said that part of the cash hoard belonged to him, because he had been “travelling for over 30 years”.
“But there were also contributions in foreign currency, some people rather contribute in foreign currency,” he added.
As to why the cash was at Pavilion Residences, he explained that it was a scramble following the election results.
“Because it all happened in a hurry, you see. We had to vacate within two hours the PMO (Prime Minister's Office) and Sri Perdana.
"Mind you, in PMO, there is a strong room (huge safe) built by my predecessor and also at Seri Perdana, there is a strong room, so that was designed.
“The intention is quite clear. They know when you fight an election, you also have to maintain cash. The opposition knows it as well. They also maintain cash.
“I know it is not something that is known in the public realm but it is not peculiar. It has happened in the past and until we change the rules and the law in terms of election funding, this will continue,” he added.
According to Najib, Dr Mahathir knew this well as it was the same practice in the past when he was Umno president.
On Wednesday, Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Seri Amar Singh told a press conference that it took police over a month, from May 21 to June 25, to ascertain the value of the cash and items seized from six residences linked to Najib.
With cash and items seized amounting to between RM900mil and RM1.1bil, Amar has said that this was the biggest seizure in Malaysian history.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/06/27/najib-dr-ms-aide-took-rm10mil-cash-from-me-for-ge13-in-2013/#C1zDJ2imzZreuAdT.99
Najib not aware of size of Rosmah’s jewellery stash
Wednesday, 27 Jun 20189:03 PM MYT
PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak (pic) has claimed that he is not aware of the extent of his wife’s collection of jewellery and other items, stating that he is like any husband in that respect.
In an exclusive interview with Malaysiakini on Wednesday, the former premier said the valuation of the items, in particular the jewellery - which number over 12,000 pieces - seized from the six residences linked to him are subjective and unrealistic.
“It depends on the source of the stones, it depends when they were gifted or when they were purchased. Valuation can tend to differ.
“So let us not get too excited about it. Let us look at the items, every single item, and we hope to have a chance to examine these items. And (then) we can come to a conclusion on the source of the items and get an explanation on the items seized by the police,” said Najib.
According to the former premier, he was given an incomplete list with vague descriptions, which lacked photographs of the seized items.
In a previous interview, Najib has said that most of the luxury items sized were gifts given to his wife and daughter and had nothing to do with 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Federal Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Datuk Seri Amar Singh told a press conference on Wednesday that it took police from May 21 to June 25 to ascertain the value of the cash and items seized.
With cash and items seized amounting to between RM900mil and RM1.1bil, Amar has said that this was the biggest seizure in Malaysian history.
When Najib was asked if he had discussed the latest disclosure from police with his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, he claimed that Rosmah herself was surprised with the number of items mentioned.
“She doesn't believe it (the valuation) will come up to that amount. And also some items, the jewellers have got records that they were sent for viewing and to be returned. So we need to identify these items and return them,” he added.
According to Najib, a significant amount of the seized jewellery do not legally belong to his wife.
Some belonged to their daughter Nooryana Najwa, her husband and mother-in-law.
In the interview, he claimed that the jewellers who had sent the items for viewing have now written in to legally claim back their items.
“But let us not jump to any conclusions at this stage. Let us examine the items individually,” he added.
Najib also pointed out that other factors must be established once the list of items seized is examined.
“We need to know the dates of the gifts, like jewellery items.
“As you know, prices of stones acquired or gifted 20 years ago are much less than they were paid because the price of stones have increased significantly so it depends on what valuation and when the valuation was made,” he added.
When asked why he did not declare the gifts received, Najib stated there is no system to do so in the country, and recalled how he wanted election funding to be more transparent.
“I actually suggested in 2010 that there should be, when it came to donations, that we should have a system of transparency and we should record the donations to some independent body.
“I had that specific proposal, but at that time, it was rejected by the opposition who are now part of the government.
“They rejected it, I suspect it was because they wanted anonymity because if people who donate to them had their identities known then that would be to their disadvantage,” he mused.
Najib said that it “is on record” that he suggested the idea, and mentioned a memory of speaking to Pemandu’s Datuk Seri Idris Jala as well as the then Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed, who liked the idea.
“We brought it forward, but it was rejected by the opposition so that is why it didn't go through.
“Had it gone through, the election funding in this country would be handled in a much more transparent way. But if I were to do it for BN but not for them, then we would be at a disadvantage.
“So the whole proposal... which is on record, we actually initiated the move for much more transparent, and accountable manner for political donation,” he added.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/06/27/najib-not-aware-of-size-of-rosmahs-jewellery-stash/#TeyGojbq73mAGbHq.99
