KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 — The husband of former Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz was seen entering the office of the police Commercial Crime unit to give his statement earlier today.
The Edge reported Datuk Tawfiq Ayman as entering Menara KPJ along Jalan Tun Razak around 10am, after spending 10 minutes waiting and chatting with his lawyer Datuk Jagjit Singh at a nearby coffee outlet beforehand.
It is understood that Tawfiq had his statement recorded for three hours, leaving the premises shortly after 1pm in the company of Jagjit. He is expected to come again next week.
1MDB investigating officer Superintendent Foo Wei Min was quoted by sources as recording his statement.
It is believed that Tawfiq was called in as part of the police probe into 1MDB funds being channelled into Singaporean company Iron Rhapsody Ltd, allegedly controlled by Tawfiq and his son.
Commercial Crime Investigation director Datuk Zainuddin Yaacob, who revealed the fact last month, has said the authorities have classified the case under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti Money Laundering, Anti Terrorism Financing, and Proceeds for Unlawful Activity Act 2001 (AMLA)
He added the department is also seeking information under the Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Act 2002, so they can record statements from overseas.
AMLA’s Section 4(1)(a) touches on any person who engages in or attempts to engage in money laundering offences, which is punishable by a fine of RM5 million, five years’ imprisonment, or both.
It was previously reported that an estimated sum of US$16.22 million (RM66.93 million) was channelled into Iron Rhapsody.
The probe follows a report by The Edge which revealed that the Singapore Police Force’s Commercial Affairs Department informed BNM in 2015 and 2016 about several suspicious transactions involving a UBS bank account belonging to Iron Rhapsody.
The company is said to receive the funds from the companies and bank accounts of fugitive financier Low Taek Jho in five separate transactions. Low is a central figure in the 1MDB scandal.
The transactions, which are reported to have occurred in 2008 and 2009, triggered suspicious transaction report alerts and led investigators in Malaysia, Switzerland, and the United States to begin a probe into the theft and laundering of billions of dollars that belonged to 1MDB.
