PUTRAJAYA, July 3 — Riza Aziz, the stepson of Datuk Seri Najib Razak, came to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) headquarters here today for questioning over the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal.
The Hollywood film producer arrived at 1.35pm in a white Kia SUV. He was escorted by two individuals, believed to be lawyers, in a black Audi before him.
Riza appeared expressionless and walked straight into the building, refusing to acknowledge the media despite repeated efforts to get his attention.
Riza, the son of Najib’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor from an earlier marriage to a man named Abdul Aziz Nong Chik, was linked to the 1MDB scandal after the US Department of Justice named his Los Angeles-based film production and distribution company Red Granite Pictures as among the recipients of funds misappropriated from the Malaysian sovereign investment fund.
Red Granite Pictures produced the 2013 Oscar-nominated movie Wolf of Wall Street starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
Earlier former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi and former Federal Land Development Authority chairman Tan Sri Shahrir Samad arrived at MACC 9.55am and 9.35am subsequently. The duo are still being interviewed.
Shahrir is here for the 1MDB probe today while Zahid is here to answer investigators questions surrounding the alleged abuse of funds in connection to a family-owned welfare foundation, called Yayasan Akal Budi.
Yesterday, Zahid spent 8.5 hours being questioned over 1MDB.
Since May, MACC has called several individuals to help its probe in relation to 1MDB, including Najib, who was summoned on May 22 and 24.
On June 5, his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor was also summoned to MACC to give her statement over the same matter.
Yesterday the 1MDB Task Force, a team jointly led by Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed, Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull, and Datuk Abdul Hamid Bador said a total of 408 bank accounts suspected to be linked to 1MDB have been frozen
Investigators said the accounts belonged to 81 individuals, 55 companies and involves nearly 900 transactions made between March 2011 and September 2015.
