Tuesday, August 25, 2015

Bar Council calls for EGM over Najib's RM2.6bil


Bar Council calls for EGM over Najib's RM2.6bil

Today 11:31 am Today 11:47 am
The Bar Council has called for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to discuss the apparent interference in investigations including into the RM2.6 billion deposits into Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak's personal bank accounts.

This was decided by the Bar Council in a special meeting last Friday.

In a circular to lawyers, the Bar Council said the EGM has been fixed for September 12 but the venue and detailed agenda will only be unveiled at a later date.
"The matters for discussion at the EGM will include the reports of interference with the ongoing investigation into the flow of funds from SRC international Sdn Bhd (a former subsidiary of 1MDB), and the transfer of RM2.6 billion into the prime minister's private bank accounts...

“…as well as the steps that the Malaysian Bar should take to affirm and uphold the rule of law, and to prevent the administration of justice from being perverted," read the circular.

Up until July, a special task force was investigating SRC International and the RM2.6 billion while the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was investigating 1MDB.

However, Najib in a cabinet reshuffle on July 28 paralysed the PAC by appointing four of its members, including the committee's head, into the government.

On the same day, the attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail was sacked (photo) and replaced with Mohamed Apandi Ali, a former federal court judge and former Umno member.

Mohamed Apandi then proceeded to disband the special task force which comprised the police, Bank Negara, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and Attorney-General's Chambers.

However, the MACC vowed to press on with the investigation on its own.
Investigators arrested

Following this, several of its investigators were arrested by police and two officers, including MACC's lead investigator into Najib's case, was transferred out.

However the transfers were aborted after a public outcry.

Last week, the deputy head of the police Special Branch Abdul Hamid Bador was also transferred to the Prime Minister's Department.

Abdul Hamid had speculated that his transfer might have been linked to his insistence for proper investigations into 1MDB.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) had in July reported that US$681 million was deposited into Najib's personal bank accounts from middle eastern-linked Tanore Finance.

It also claimed that another RM42 million from state-owned SRC International was also deposited into his private bank accounts.

Najib had initially threatened to sue the WSJ but later admitted to receiving the US$681 million, claiming that it was a political donation.

However, he has yet to address the RM42 million which is from the Finance Ministry-owned company.

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