KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) should be investigated to determine the newspaper’s agenda in its reporting on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), the prime minister’s press secretary said today.
Commenting on the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) refuting the US-based newspaper’s report claiming that US$3 billion in 1MDB bonds were transferred to BSI Bank in the republic, Datuk Seri Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad said it was the latest WSJ report to be proven false.
Citing previous WSJ reports that were controverted, such as one claiming that Treasury Secretary-General Tan Sri Irwan Serigar would be appointed Bank Negara Governor, he said it was apparent that the newspaper was part of the campaign to remove Datuk Seri Najib Razak as prime minister.
“It is now clear that the WSJ has abandoned all pretence at independent reporting on Malaysia,” he said in a statement.
“It should be investigated why the WSJ are publishing so many proven lies about one country; and why an international newspaper is taking sides in Malaysia’s internal affairs.”
Tengku Sariffuddin maintained that the newspaper has yet to corroborate its reports on 1MDB and Putrajaya with evidence, using only unnamed sources as the basis of its claims.
He accused the WSJ of cowardice for using sources that could not be independently verified, suggesting that they may be fictional or proxies of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
“Malaysians have no way of knowing, as the WSJ refuse to name a single source,” he said, before calling for the investigation.
The MAS today confirmed that no bank in the island state received proceeds of the US$3 billion bond issued on behalf of 1MDB by Goldman Sachs, in response to the WSJ’s report.
