Tun Mahathir: We Have An "Almost Perfect" Case Against Najib
Mahathir expects the first arrest in the 1MDB case to be made within months.
By Katrina Khairul Azman — 20 Jun 2018, 11:47 AM
Yesterday, 19 June, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad revealed that Malaysian investigators have "an almost perfect case" against former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal
In an interview with Reuters, Mahathir said that, "He was totally responsible for 1MDB. Nothing can be done without his signature, and we have his signature on all the deals entered into by 1MDB. Therefore, he is responsible."
The 92-year-old also mentioned that "Jho Low and a few others" were also being investigated.
Meanwhile, Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing and reiterated that he did not take money from 1MDB last week.
According to Mahathir, investigators are looking to bring "a number of charges" against Najib, including embezzlement and bribery with government money
On whether the former prime minister's wife was also being investigated in connection with 1MDB, Mahathir told Reuters that, "Some of the money is believed to have gone to her, lots of money."
However, he added that, "Finding the paper trail is a bit more difficult in this case because she doesn't sign any papers. Najib signs a lot of papers."
Mahathir also said that he expected the first arrest in the 1MDB case to be made within the next few months, and "hopefully" a trial will be started by the end of the year
"We are working as hard as possible at a furious pace," he said, adding that, "When we go to the courts, we will have clear evidence of the wrongdoing. We cannot afford to lose."