Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali has cleared Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak of any corruption or criminal offenses. Razak has been accused of graft and mismanagement of the state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which was loaded with debts. Moreover, it was revealed that around $681 million has been deposited into his personal bank account.
Starbroek News reported that the investigation regarding Razak's multi-million dollar funding scandal has been officially closed, making his opponents lose hope that the crisis will bring the prime minister down. Opposition leaders also condemned the result, saying there has been a conflict of interest as Razak appointed Ali during the issue.
However, it has been recognized that the $681 million transferred to Razak's personal bank account was a gift from the royal family of Saudi Arabia, thus, clearing Razak of any corruption allegations, NDTV said. Merdeka Center Director Ibrahim Suffian also stated that as far as things are legally concerned, Razak is in the clear. The statement of Ali has also allowed the government to move on.
"I am satisfied with the findings that the funds were not a form of graft or bribery," Ali said during a quickly called news conference.
In addition, according to The Himalayan Times, Ali confirmed that an amount totaling $620 million was returned to the Saudi Arabia's royal family in August 2013. This was five months after the transfer was made since the money has not been used.
Furthermore, Ali stated that Razak did not commit any offense with regard to three investigations that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) submitted. The said anti-graft agency also said earlier that the huge amount of money given to the prime minister was donated by an unidentified benefactor from Middle East.
But for Democratic Action Party Leader Lim Kit Siang, it is indeed a conflict of interest as Ali was appointed as attorney general by Razak himself, which happened during the scandal. Thus, Ali must not have been involved in the decision affecting the prime minister.
As of the moment, the decision remains. What happens next, as Ali affirmed, is that he would go back to the MACC papers regarding the three separate probes with instructions on closing all three of them.
