KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 25 — Members of an independent Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) panel today rejected a news report claiming they said there was enough evidence to prosecute the prime minister.
In the statement issued by Tan Sri Hamid Bugo, the chairman of the Operations Review Panel, and another member, they said the individual who made the claim was not authorised to do so and had misrepresented what the panel decided.
Reports to the effect and citing anonymous sources were published by news portal The Malaysian Insider, which was today blocked by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.
“We further wish to add that (the) panel did not at any time say that it had ‘enough proof to charge Najib over SRC’ as claimed by the title of the article, or that ‘there is credible evidence to frame charges against Datuk Seri Najib Razak’.” it said.
“The panel also did not conclude that ‘The MACC investigators had collected sufficient evidence to prove a prima facie case against Najib’.”
The quotes were contained in one of several articles on the now-blocked news portal concerning the final meeting of the Operations Review Panel.
The independent panel today also disputed the MACC that yesterday claimed that it had asked the commission to issue a press statement regarding its advice to the latter.
It said it did not make any such request and had only advised the MACC to continue its investigations.
Aside from saying the panel told it to issue a statement, the MACC yesterday said it was advised to continue its investigation on the RM2.6 billion donation to the prime minister and to get the attorney-general’s help for assistance from foreign authorities.
The MACC also said its Operations Review Panel has recommended that the anti-graft agency resubmit its investigation papers on SRC International, a former unit of state investment firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), to Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali for review.
The term of the oversight panel, whose members are appointed by the prime minister, expired yesterday with no replacements announced.
