Reporters gather at MACC headquarters ahead of Najib's arrival

PUTRAJAYA: Media practitioners have gathered at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission's headquarters here ahead of Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's arrival at the agency to have his statement recorded.

The anti-graft agency served the former premier notice on Friday (May 18) to seek his cooperation over investigations into SRC International Sdn Bhd, a former subsidiary of the controversial 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

It is not known how many investigating officers will be involved or how long it will take but previous cases of questioning and investigations have gone up to 10 hours or more.

Wartawan ‘berkampung’ di SPRM tunggu Najibhttps://t.co/NEOgKS564x pic.twitter.com/RoSSqiHRD2 — BERNAMA (@bernamadotcom) May 22, 2018

Finding out what happened to billions of dollars that went missing from state-investment 1MDB is a priority for newly minted Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who at the age of 92 came out of political retirement and joined the opposition to topple his former protege.

New MACC chief Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull told reporters to expect a “special briefing” on Tuesday (May 22), according to reports.

Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing related to 1MDB since the scandal erupted in 2015, but he replaced an attorney-general and several MACC officers to shut down an investigation.

Najib has said the RM2.6bil (US$681mil) funds deposited in his personal bank account were a donation from a Saudi royal, rebutting reports that itcame from 1MDB.

Now answering to a different prime minister, the MACC has reopened its investigation, initially focusing on how RM42mil (US$10.6mil) went from SRC International to Najib’s account.

SRC was created in 2011 by Najib’s government to pursue overseas investments in energy resources, and was a unit of 1MDB until it was moved to the finance ministry in 2012.