RM2.6b came from more than one donor, Zahid confirms

(Malay Mail Online) – Umno vice-president Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi confirmed today the RM2.6 billion donation made in Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s accounts came from more than one party.

“It’s plural,” he told reporters when asked about the matter here at the Putra World Trade Center (PWTC) during the ongoing Umno general assembly.

Ahmad Zahid had in the past said that he had met with the donor to confirm that the RM2.6 billion found in Najib’s private accounts had not originated from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) as previously speculated.

In an interview published today in The Star, however, Najib reportedly said that the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) had met with the “donors” from the Middle East.

When asked about the RM2.6 billion that was deposited into his personal accounts, Najib, who is also the Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN) president, also said the ruling party is not the only political entity that has received such payments.

Najib was earlier this month questioned by the MACC over the RM2.6 billion deposited into his accounts in 2013.

On August 5, the MACC announced that it would summon Najib to explain the RM2.6 billion, describing the amount as a donation from Middle East donors that it declined to name.

According to MACC then, it had found four letters that were given to the bank when the RM2.6 billion was deposited into Najib’s account, with the documents stating that the contribution was a “donation”.

The MACC had also said the RM2.6 billion is not linked to 1MDB.

The RM2.6 billion figure first surfaced after US-based Wall Street Journal reported in July of its purported discovery by government investigators.

Najib has said that he did not take public funds for personal gain.