IGP says WSJ under investigation over leaked bank info
(Malay Mail Online) – The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) will be investigated for possible offences involving the unauthorised release of banking information, Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar said today.
Khalid said the special taskforce probing 1 Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) has received information of banking information leaks, which he said could affect Malaysia’s economy and ultimately cause “economic sabotage” if left unchecked.
“We will also probe the Wall Street Journal in this aspect,” he told reporters here after citing several laws under which the leaking of confidential bank documents was punishable.
In a report last Friday, the WSJ claimed that government investigators found a money trail showed that US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) were moved between government agencies, banks and companies before it ended up in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s accounts.
Yesterday, WSJ also uploaded a batch of redacted documents that it said was from a “Malaysian government investigation” to back its report last week, but noted that these papers do not state the original money source or provide further details on the cash after it was allegedly transferred to Najib’s accounts.
The flowcharts and bank documents uploaded by WSJ relate to transactions in March 2013, December 2014 and February 2015 which purportedly ended up in Najib’s accounts in AmIslamic Bank.
A January 2014 letter on the power of attorney over three bank accounts under AmIslamic Bank Berhad — that WSJ said belonged to Najib — was also provided.
Najib has denied taking money for personal gain and categorised the allegations as “political sabotage”.
