KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 – Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said now that the donation issue has been comprehensively put to rest, it is time for Malaysians to unite and move on. The prime minister said the issue had been an unnecessary distraction for the country. In a posting on his Facebook account, Najib spelled out his priorities going forward.
He said he will now redouble my focus on the key issues that matter to Malaysia, especially combating the threat of terrorism and strengthening the economy in the face of global headwinds. Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali cleared Najib of any wrongdoing in relation to investigations into SRC International Sdn Bhd and the RM2.6 billion alleged to have been deposited into the prime minister’s bank account.
Speaking in Putrajaya, Mohamed Apandi said the investigations revealed that the amount deposited was RM2.08 billion, and it was a personal donation from the Saudi royal family in 2013, of which RM2.03 billion was returned to the contributor the same year. He said there was no criminal wrongdoing. He told this on a news conference on the outcome of the investigations.
Najib said he welcomed Mohamed Apandi’s statement on the matter. The prime minister said that the findings followed a thorough investigation by the relevant institutions, and he has confirmed what I have maintained all along – that no crime was committed.
“I appreciated that political funding was a topic of concern to many people. That was why he first initiated political funding reform proposals in 2010, but unfortunately these were blocked by the opposition at the time. However, I’ve instructed for them to be put forward again for discussion,” he concluded.
