Cops to question Nurul Izzah in probe on 1MDB stolen data offer claim
(Malay Mail Online) – PKR vice-president Nurul Izzah Anwar will be investigated by the police over her purported involvement in the purchase of stolen data on 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), as alleged by several local dailies, her lawyer said today.
Latheefa Koya said the police had sought to question Nurul Izzah today under Section 124B of the Penal Code, but will have to delay it as the Lembah Pantai MP is currently abroad.
“Yes, the police came requesting for Nurul Izzah to give a statement but they haven’t actually done so yet because she’s not around so we will only confirm a date next week.
”They didn’t specify in what context. It has something to do with some offer and with an NST story. In other words, the defamatory remarks has led to a police investigation,” the lawyer told Malay Mail Online when contacted.
She also said Nurul Izzah will fully cooperate with the police in the investigation.
Latheefa was referring to reports by the English-language daily New Straits Times and its Malay sister publication Berita Harian earlier this month, claiming former PetroSaudi International (PSI) executive Xavier Andre Justo as saying in a written confession that he had received an offer from Nurul Izzah to buy confidential information on 1MDB for US$2 million (RM8.49 billion), but had rejected it.
In response, Nurul Izzah denied the allegations and said that she had initiated legal action against the two dailies published by The New Straits Times Press, which is owned by the Umno-linked media group, Media Prima.
Latheefa said Nurul Izzah’s civil suit is a separate matter from the police investigation, adding that the two dailies have requested an extended deadline to respond to the lawmaker’s lawsuit.
“The one that Nurul Izzah filed a lawsuit, the lawyers for NST and Berita Harian has requested for an extension, two weeks to respond. We sent it last week so deadline is end of this week,” she said.
According to local news portal The Malaysian Insider, Nurul Izzah is currently in the US to meet with its state department officials, politicians, civil society leaders and international lawyers in hopes of getting urgent medical attention for her father and de facto opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim for a shoulder injury.
Justo pled guilty last month in Thailand to a charge of attempting to blackmail Saudi-based PSI over purportedly incriminating documents and was sentenced to three years’ jail.
US paper Wall Street Journal reported last July that almost US$700 million was funnelled into the personal bank accounts of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak through several companies linked to 1MDB, two months before the tumultuous 13th general election in May 2013.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission has, however, said that the money did not come from 1MDB, but from Middle Eastern donors that it did not identify.
