Zahid: 1MDB probe will be fair and transparent

(Bernama) – Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has stressed that the investigations into 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) will be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.

Zahid also said that if any party was found guilty, legal action would be taken in accordance with the legal system in the country.

“All investigations against any party should hold onto the principle of the rule of law, and pressure to either speed up or slow down any investigation on any party should not happen,” he said in a statement here today.

Zahid, who is also home minister, said the government appreciated and took note of the Conference of Rulers’ pre-council meeting statement, which also showed that the principle of constitutional monarchy and parliamentary democracy in Malaysia was inseparable.

The Conference of Rulers who held the pre-council meeting on Tuesday issued a statement on the same day urging the government to resolve the investigations into 1MDB as soon as possible and to take stern action against those found guilty.

Zahid said all of the Conference of Rulers’ statements were valued highly by the government, and it had already taken proactive measures to address the issues that were brought up, with emphasis on the welfare of the people and the rule of law.

“The government always takes seriously and respects the decrees of the Conference of Rulers. Therefore, the stability of the country’s economy, the recovery of the ringgit’s value, racial harmony and reducing the cost burden of the people will be the focus of the government.

“Every effort is being made to ensure that these issues can be resolved in the near future,” he said.

The deputy prime minister said the public was aware that the government was in the midst of a debt rationalisation plan for 1MDB and it had been well received by investors from within the country and abroad.

“The government will, in the near future, table all of 1MDB’s debt reduction transactions through investments in the company’s assets,” he said.