Bersih 2.0: Did Najib receive RM2.6b donation as PM or Umno president?

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib must publicly reveal the details of the RM2.6 billion contribution and the identities of the donors, says Bersih 2.0. — Picture by Saw Siow FengGEORGE TOWN, Aug 3 — Polls watchdog Bersih 2.0 asked today if the mysterious RM2.6 billion from “donors” in Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s accounts had been received in his capacity as prime minister or as Umno president, claiming that if the former were true, the funds should be considered as public money.

The group’s chairman Maria Chin Abdullah demanded that the prime minister publicly reveal the details of the contribution, particularly on the identities of these donors.

She said the although the funds had not come from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) as previously alleged, there were still many unanswered questions on why such a large sum had been deposited in the first place.

“They have to tell us who are the donors? Was the money given to Najib as the party president or was it given to him as the prime minister?” she asked.

“Show us who the “donors” are,” the activist added.

Earlier today, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) issued a statement confirming reports that RM2.6 billion was deposited into Najib’s accounts but said the money was from donors and not 1MDB.

The identities of the donors, the purpose of the contributions and how the money was spent were not revealed, however.

“There are now so many grey areas and questions on 1MDB. They can’t just say the money come from donors and expect us to swallow it,” she said.

In a report in June, US-based daily Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing documents from Malaysian investigators currently scrutinising the troubled 1MDB’s financials, claimed that a money trail showed that US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) were moved among government agencies, banks and companies before it ended up in Najib’s accounts.

Najib has repeatedly denied taking funds from 1MDB or any other public entity for “personal gain” and his lawyers have since asked the WSJ to state if it is accusing the prime minister of misappropriating funds.

The special task force leading a separate probe on 1MDB said last month that two bank accounts held by Najib in AmBank were already closed long before an investigation was launched against the misappropriation.

- malaymail