The MACC said on Thursday that it would be recording Najib's
statement in connection with graft allegations at SRC International, a
firm linked to 1MDB, and the funds in his account.
Malaysia"s
Prime Minister Najib Razak arrives at a session of the 27th Association
of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur, November 21,
2015
Malaysian anti-corruption officials questioned Prime Minister Najib Razak
on Saturday in an investigation into deposits of funds totalling 2.6
billion ringgit ($615.53 million) into his bank accounts that have
prompted calls for his resignation.
The Malaysian
Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) said in a statement that Najib
cooperated with its officers during the meeting, which lasted
two-and-a-half-hours.
A graft scandal erupted
around Najib in July when the Wall Street Journal reported that
investigators focused on state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB)
[TERRN.UL] had found that funds had been transferred into Najib's bank
accounts.
Critics have accused the government of
dragging its feet on the investigation and have called for Najib to step
down due to his failure to fully explain where the money came from, why
it was paid, or how it was used.
The MACC said on
Thursday that it would be recording Najib's statement in connection
with graft allegations at SRC International, a firm linked to 1MDB, and
the funds in his account.
Najib, who chairs the
1MDB advisory board, has denied wrongdoing or taking any money for
personal gain. The MACC has said earlier that the money was a political
donation from an unidentified Middle Eastern benefactor.
The
government has repeated that explanation in parliament, but most
Malaysians, not just the prime minister's critics, remain dissatisfied
with that answer, and noted his failure to take legal action against the
Wall Street Journal.
The fund is also being
investigated by law enforcement agencies in Switzerland, Hong Kong and
the United States, media and sources have said.
The
controversy has battered Malaysian markets with the ringgit losing
about a quarter of its value to become Asia's worst-performing currency
this year.
The MACC statement said it will keep the public informed of developments.
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