Malaysias ex-central bank head: Najib asked me to say hed done nothing wrong
Malaysias ex-central bank head: Najib asked me to say hed done nothing wrong
Malaysia`s former central bank head on Tuesday denied she was aware of a large sum deposited in ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak`s account in 2013, adding that he later asked her to issue a statement saying "he had done nothing wrong".
Zeti Akhtar Aziz was responding to a Najib interview published on Monday in which he said the central bank was aware of the 2.6 billion ringgit ($643.41 million) placed in his account before the 2013 general election and did nothing.
Zeti was head of Bank Negara at the time before her retirement in 2016.
Three years ago, the Wall Street Journal reported that Malaysian investigators had traced the deposit to a state fund 1MDB that Najib founded over a decade ago. Najib said the funds were a donation from a Saudi royal.
"I wish to categorically state that this claim is false," Zeti said in the statement, referring to Najib saying the central bank was aware of the 2.6 billion ringgit placed in his account.
"In fact, on 3 July 2015, I was called to the Prime Minister`s office. He made a request for me to issue a statement that he had done nothing wrong in his account. I informed him that I cannot issue such a statement because I did not have knowledge of transactions that had occurred in his account."
Malaysian anti-corruption agents arrested Najib on Tuesday following a probe into how money went missing from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state fund he founded almost a decade ago. Authorities said he would be charged in court on Wednesday.
Najib has denied wrongdoing.($1 = 4.0410 ringgit)
(This article has not been edited by Zeebiz editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
Get Latest Business News, Stock Market Updates and Videos; Check your tax outgo through Income Tax Calculator and save money through our Personal Finance coverage. Check Business Breaking News Live on Zee Business Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe on YouTube.