‘Who deposited the RM2.6b is a different matter’
(Daily Express) – The revelation by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) that the money in the Prime Minister’s account was not from the 1mdb was welcomed by Barisan Nasional (BN) Strategic Communication Director Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan.
The MACC on Monday revealed that the RM2.6 billion alleged to have been deposited into Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak’s account was from donors and not from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
“Allegations by the Opposition that the money is from 1MDB and that it is the people’s money is not true and slanderous intentions,” he said during a Hari Raya Open House ceremony organised by the State Fire and Rescue Department here, on Monday.
Abdul Rahman who is Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister said the question of who, how and why the money was deposited into the Prime Minister’s account is a different matter.
“The important thing is that the main issue has been answered.
“There is no law in the country which forbids anyone from donating as much as they want into political parties that they support,” he said.
On another note, he said Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is on record saying that money were kept by trustees and proxies.
Abdul Rahman said this in response to a statement by Dr Mahathir that not a single sen from funds donated for elections were put into his (Dr Mahathir) account.
“The money may not be going to his personal account but he is on record of saying that some of Umno shares and assets has been kept by certain individuals.
“I would rather Umno assets and money be kept by the president rather than someone we do not know, there is a major difference in that,”he said.
Abdul Rahman also presented donation of RM163,000 to Laurinjah Seimin on behalf of the Fire and Rescue Department.
Laurinjah who is six-month pregnant is the widow of fireman, Apolos Jeremos, 25, who was killed in the line of duty in Sandakan.
“This is our way of showing tremendous respect to our fireman, we must be reminded that they are actually risking their lives every time they go out on duty,” said Abdul Rahman who also announced Apolos’ posthumous promotion to Senior Fireman.
In Kuala Lumpur, newly-appointed Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak questioned what was the issue now that the country’s graft busters have confirmed that the RM2.6 billion deposited in Najib’s personal bank account did not come from 1MDB.
The Communications and Multimedia minister said the uproar after the MACC revelation showed a “classic case of you can never satisfy the critics”.
“So what is the issue now? Should they not be happy that the money was not stolen from 1MDB as alleged? That is what they demanded to know and that was what MACC confirmed,” Salleh Said wrote on his blog.
“If Najib tells them that the donation did not come with strings attached would they believe him?” the former Sabah Chief Minister added.
In a report in June, US-based daily Wall Street Journal, citing documents from Malaysian investigators currently scrutinising the troubled 1MDB’s financials, claimed that a money trail showed that US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) was moved among government agencies, banks and companies before it ended up in Najib’s accounts, two months before the 13th general election in May 2013.
In Election 2013, Barisan Nasional contested 221 parliamentary seats and 505 state seats.
The Election Offences Act 1954 prohibits candidates from spending more than RM200,000 in elections for parliamentary seats and more than RM100,000 for state seats.
This means that the ruling coalition had a spending limit of RM94.7 million in the 13th general election.
