Conspiracy shocker – Najib, Rosmah, several others on tape of betrayal of public trust
PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today revealed audio clips of alleged leakage of information from the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and other conversation relating to the probe into 1Malaysia Development Berhad and SRC International Sdn Bhd.
MACC chief Latheefa Koya, in a packed press conference, identified the person disclosing the AGC information to Najib in 2016 as then DPP Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad who was promoted in August of that year to replace Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed as the MACC chief.
Besides Najib and Dzulkifli, she also named Najib’s wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and several other individuals including two foreign individuals – a royalty and a company chief executive – from the Middle East as those who featured or were referred to in the clips.
Saying that the MAAC can vouch for the authenticity of the nine sets of audio clips of 45-minute duration, which took place between Jan 5 and July 29, 2016, Latheefa said: “The contents are shocking; it’s a cover-up and subversion of justice … in the public interest, we’re making public the contents.”
Disclosing that the MACC received the audio clips recently, in the New Year, the anti-graft chief said her office will hand them over to the relevant authorities to facilitate investigation.
After all the audio recordings were played during the press conference which was carried live over television, Latheefa said they give rise to a number of issues.
“There are various serious issues that have arisen including abuse of power, criminal conspiracy, obstruction of justice, compromising national security, fabrication of false evidence through foreign assistance, and connivance,” she stressed.
“In this whole sordid episode of betrayal of public trust and criminality, we can be thankful that there was one brave public servant who knew his duty – Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed,” she said.
Abu Kassim was the MACC chief at the time that these telephone exchanges allegedly took place. He was replaced by Dzulkifli on Aug 1, 2016.
Referring to the audio clips, Latheefa said: “When we got them, we went through forensics to identify who they (the individuals) are, and we did our investigation and obviously, based on the knowledge that we have … we could easily identify who they are.”
Asked whether the revelation of the recordings will jeopardise the ongoing court cases involving Najib, Latheefa said: “I don’t see how it is going to affect (the trials).
“As far as we are concerned, this is of public interest and involves serious national security. So I don’t see how it cannot be shared (with the public) and is prejudicial to the ongoing cases.”
She said one of the audio clips featured a conversation between Najib and Dzulkifli, a call that Rosmah answered and passed on to Najib.
“The conversation revolved around an investigation paper. There was an obvious leak of information from the AGC to the person we believe was a subject of investigation,” she said.
The other audio clips feature, among others, conversations expressing concern and the need to resolve issues speedily.
In another of the recordings was a somewhat heated conversation between a man and a woman said to be Najib and Rosmah.
According to Latheefa, what was said during the conversations contained elements of corruption and what may constitute offences under the Penal Code which the MACC would prefer the police to look into.
Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Abdul Hamid Bador told Bernama that the police will launch an investigation once they receive the relevant information from the MACC.
Najib, who was attending his SRC International trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, said during a break that he will consult his lawyers on the MACC revelation. – Bernama
