WASHINGTON DC, Oct 11 – Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said to Malaysian journalists here on Friday that the issue of 1MDB was not a major focus of Washington including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He said this maybe the issue is big as it is shouted about in the country (Malaysia) because in our country it is used as a political issue.
“1MDB was not raised at all during his meeting with US Secretary of State Johy Kerry and also in discussions with senior FBI officers. Nothing on 1MDB was raised by the FBI or John Kerry or any party that I met when I was in Washington. 1MDB is not a big issue to them at all,” said Ahmad Zahid, who is on a working visit to the administrative centre of the United States (U.S.) when asked on media reports that the FBI had started their investigation on 1MDB.
Ahmad Zahid met John Kerry at the State Department here Thursday to sign a document on Homeland Security Presidential Directives No.6, to enable Malaysia to become the 39th nation to participate in the U.S. Visa Waiver programme. Other than the meeting with Kerry, Ahmad Zahid, who is also Home Minister, held discussions with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and FBI which touched on the issues of ISIS violence, security in the South China Sea and migration.
The Deputy Prime Minister also advised the public against being influenced by numerous statements that purportedly international agencies, specifically in the U.S., were conducting investigations based on allegation by several individuals from Malaysia, who were said to have met the agencies.
“I’ve met the deputy director of FBI (Mark F. Giuliano) and senior officials of FBI. Not even a word mentioned on 1MDB while also with him in the meeting was Malaysian ambassador to the U.S. Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin and Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Alwi Ibrahim. I don’t know where the news come from. I’ve met FBI and other parties..the matter did not crop up,” he said.
