Lawyer: Banker close to Dr M leaked info on PM’s account

Md Zainal Abidin also says Najib was merely following Mahathir Mohamad’s own system of “paying to stay in power”

KUALA LUMPUR: Lawyer Md Zainal Abidin has fingered the man who leaked details of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s AmBank banking accounts.

The man is a banking tycoon who he alleged is very close to Dr Mahathir Mohamad, said Md Zainal who heads the NGO called Citizens For Accountable Governance Malaysia (CAGM).

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) alleged on July 3 that as much as USD700 million of 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds had been channelled into Najib’s AmBank accounts, a claim Najib has denied, saying he has never utilised 1MDB’s funds for personal use.

Dropping hints, Md Zainal said the banking tycoon, who often went horseback riding with Mahathir, was grateful to the former PM for his success and was willing to expose a “strictly confidential and integral link that has played a pivotal role that helps Umno and BN remain in power”.

“Ambank has disbursed loans amounting to more than RM250 million to companies linked to Mirzan and Mokhzani Mahathir,” Md Zainal was also quoted by The Rakyat Post, as saying, referring to Mahathir’s sons.

Md Zainal made more damning allegations against Barisan Nasional using money from Najib’s accounts to fund its 2013 general election campaign.

BN parties, including Umno, MCA, MIC and Gerakan, were said to have been given between RM30 million and RM50 million each while “friendly” NGOs and others received between RM1 million and RM8 million each.

“The harder a victory in the elections appears to be, the more money it requires to secure a win and the 2013 general election was a very high-risk affair for BN,” Zainal said in a report in The Rakyat Post yesterday.

Md Zainal further charged that Dr Mahathir was responsible for the BN practice of “paying to stay in power”.

Najib was merely following the system that was put in motion by Mahathir to “ensure the general election results were in favour of BN”, continued Md Zainal.

He also told the news portal that CAGM was in possession of the documents to support his claims but that the time was not right to share it with the media.