Malaysian Leader Faces Fresh Blow With Wife Under Scrutiny

KUALA LUMPUR: The special task force investigating claims of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds misappropriation said they knew about Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor bank account before the matter was published by the Sarawak Report yesterday.

The account has been highlighted in the media, which alleged that various sums totaling two million ringgit (over Dollars 2 lakh) was banked into an account with Affin Bank bearing her name between February 10 and April 23 this year by a man identified as Roslan Sohari, Star newspaper reported today.

The task force has been comprised of Abu Kassim Mohamed of the Anti-Corruption Commission, central bank governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, police chief Khalid Abu Bakar and Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail.

It said the investigation into Madam Rosmah’s bank account is being carried out transparently and professionally. It didn’t say whether the money came from 1MDB.

“My client has not committed any criminal offence or misappropriation of funds and strongly denies any links to the funds being from 1MDB”, the firm said.

This followed another expose by WSJ, this time citing correspondence between Singapore and Malaysian authorities, that US$529 million was deposited between 2011 and 2013 from a Swiss account of Good Star Ltd to an account at BSI in Singapore allegedly belonging to Mr. Low.

Records on Facebook also revealed that the individual had “checked in” at various locations overseas when Najib was at these places, such as Jeddah (June 6, 2015, when the premier and his wife were there to perform their umrah), Kazakhstan (last year), Beijing (Nov 12, 2014, when the premier attended the Asia Pacific Economic Conference), and New York (where Najib attended the United Nations general assembly last September).

According to a press statement issued by Messrs NoorHajran Mohd Noor Advocates and Solictors on behalf of Rosmah, said that whistle blower portal Sarawak Report’s inference made against her was done “in the most irresponsible and blatant misrepresentation of its statements with malicious intent to discredit and defame, to reduce credibility and integrity of (Rosmah) as the wife to the Prime Minister of Malaysia”.

Najib has denied taking any money from 1MDB for his personal gains and said the allegations are part of a political sabotage.

His ruling National Front coalition has been in power since independence from Britain in 1957.