PUTRAJAYA, Nov 21 — Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad today said there are thousands of graft cases from Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s administration and the major ones mainly involved Umno leaders.
The prime minister said other Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders have not been hauled to court yet because many of those involved in the big cases were mainly from the Malay nationalist party.
Denying that the government was singling out Umno leaders, Dr Mahathir said the authorities have to prioritise cases due to their sheer volume.
“We have thousands of cases which were brought under Datuk Seri Najib’s administration. We cannot settle all in one day.
“We focus on the big cases for now, which mostly involve those from Umno, not because they are from Umno,” he told a press conference after chairing the Anti-Corruption Special Cabinet Committee meeting.
Dr Mahathir was asked by reporters why no graft charges had been brought against leaders from other BN component parties.
On Saturday, former Umno supreme council member Datuk Mohd Puad Zarkashi had claimed the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) deliberately targeted only former Umno government leaders over charges of corruption.
Puad claimed that it was part of Dr Mahathir’s plans to topple Umno and entice its members to join Parti Prebumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM).
Meanwhile, when asked about MACC reopening investigations into the Malaysia’s purchase of two Scorpene submarines in 2002, Dr Mahathir said he was not aware of it.
“I am not aware of it. It was reported in the press. You are aware [of it],” he replied.
He added that the deal had happened in the past and that the MACC had looked into the case but did not find enough evidence on whether there was “some hanky-panky” in the deal.
