MACC panel denies Malaysian Insider report

(Bernama) – The Operations Review Panel (ORP), which advises the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), has denied saying it had “enough proof to charge Najib over SRC” as reported by a news portal today.

The panel in a statement today said it expressly distanced itself from the contents of the news reports on The Malaysian Insider which said that there was enough evidence to charge prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Its chairman, Tan Sri Hamid Bugo said the article entitled “Enough proof to charge Najib over SRC, says MACC oversight committee” published in news portal had cited an anonymous panel member.

“We wish to state that no anonymous source is authorised to speak for and on behalf of the Panel under any circumstances. In any event, we hereby expressly disassociate ourselves from all such statements attributed to the anonymous source.

“We further wish to add that Panel did not at any time say that it had ‘enough proof to charge Najib over SRC’ as claimed by the title of the article, or that ‘there is credible evidence to frame charges against Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

“The Panel also did not conclude that “The MACC investigators had collected sufficient evidence to prove a prima facie case against Najib’,” said the statement, which is also signed by Panel member Tan Sri Mohamed Jawhar Hassan.

The Panel advised the MACC to complete their investigation.

They also clarified on the press statement issued by MACC yesterday stating that ‘The MACC was requested by ORP to issue public statement on these issues’.

“We wish to state that we made no such request of the MACC. It is however up to the MACC if it wishes to issue any statement,” they said.