KUALA LUMPUR, March 5 — Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi claimed today the barrage of criticisms against 1 Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) is part of a systematic effort by groups out to destroy the nation’s image.
According to The Star Online, the home minister told reporters in Kota Baru that he has reasons to believe as such, following 1MDB and accounting firm Deloitte’s briefing yesterday to the federal Cabinet.
“All the attacks, speculations and unsubstantiated claims launched by certain quarters had far-reaching consequences on the country’s image in the eyes of foreign investors.
“Any attacks against 1MDB will indirectly affect the country and it is deemed to be a concerted attack on Malaysia. Those behind it must take responsibility for any false accusations,” he was quoted as saying in the English daily’s online report.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak ordered the Auditor-General to conduct an independent check on 1MDB’s accounts and prepare a report for Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee to scrutinise.
In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) also confirmed that the Cabinet had found no wrongdoing in 1MDB’s deals, despite numerous exposés and allegations of impropriety levelled against the firm.
The state-owned firm yesterday also said it will comply with the audit.
1MDB came under criticism after a British paper, The Sunday Times, in collaboration with whistleblower site Sarawak Report, ran an exposé last Sunday on Malaysian business magnate Low Taek Jho and his alleged links to 1MDB’s venture with oil exploration and production firm, PetroSaudi International.
In the exposé, Sarawak Report accused the Malaysian tycoon, popularly known as Jho Low, of siphoning off US$700 million (RM2.5 billion) from 1MDB and using PetroSaudi as a “front” in a 2009 joint venture.
