Business venture: Ahmad Zahid visiting a booth after launching Jualan Desa Madani at Menara Mara in Kuala Lumpur. — AZMAN GHANI/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Charges against Datuk Seri Najib Razak related to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MBD) scandal should be dropped if a memo that was purportedly leaked is genuine, says Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
The Umno president said Najib must “get the justice he deserves”.
“I believe that the Attorney General’s Chambers (AGC) should review the charges against Najib. If the memo is genuine, I am confident the AGC will take immediate action by dropping the charges,” said the Deputy Prime Minister.The alleged 12-page internal memo from the AGC was reportedly addressed to former attorney general Tan Sri Tommy Thomas and dated Sept 10, 2019.
In it, the team prosecuting Najib for payments made to Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) had apparently expressed concerns that a strong prima facie case could not be built for the six charges against him and former Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Irwan Serigar.
Najib, who was prime minister when the alleged payments were made, was charged in the Kuala Lumpur Sessions Court on Oct 25, 2018.
He and Irwan were jointly charged with six counts of criminal breach of trust under Section 409 of the Penal Code with regard to payments of RM6.6bil in government funds to IPIC.
Ahmad Zahid said Malaysians, including Umno leaders and members, are putting their trust in the AGC to deliver justice while describing Najib’s charges as a form of “persecution”.
“Justice must be prioritised by the AGC and we are confident of the AGC’s credibility and capability to review and do something positive so that Najib will truly be given justice,” he told reporters after attending the Jualan Desa Madani programme at Menara Mara here yesterday.
On Aug 17, Attorney General Tan Sri Idrus Harun told The Star that the AGC was investigating the matter but stopped short of confirming the authenticity of the memo.Meanwhile, on a separate matter, Ahmad Zahid said several subsidiaries under the Rural and Regional Development Ministry’s agencies will likely be closed down and subsequently merged with others.
Ahmad Zahid, who is also Rural and Regional Development Minister, said this would only apply to subsidiaries that are not making a profit.
“We are taking some drastic measures by proposing to the Finance Ministry for subsidiaries under Mara and other agencies... that are not making profits to be closed down and later merged with others,” he said.
He said his ministry is determined to see all of its subsidiaries turn a profit as this would help fund activities and programmes that would be helpful to the public.
“My aim is for these agencies not to be cost centres, but to instead become profit centres,” he added.
Ahmad Zahid said the ministry is also proposing to establish “Jelita TVET,” an education institution aimed at assisting women entrepreneurs.
