SRC case – charges to be filed soon, says anti-graft boss Shukri

PUTRAJAYA: Graft busters are waiting to record statements from one or two key witnesses in the case of SRC International before pressing charges.

Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission chief commissioner Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull said the case can be wrapped up ”soon”, but declined to give a timeline.

“Today, we are taking a statement from Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. He is here to have his statement recorded. If need be, we will call him back,” said Shukri.

On the identities of the witnesses, the MACC chief declined to name them but described them as crucial to the investigation.

Shukri clarified that MACC was investiga­ting SRC International while the 1MDB task force was assigned to investigate the RM2.6bil fund.

The MACC has been working closely with authorities in the United States, Britain, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland on this case but Shukri admitted lack of cooperation from Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

On the probe by the US Department of Justice, he said its findings were similar to that of MACC’s, but declined to elaborate.

The DoJ has launched a criminal probe and filed civil lawsuits seeking to recover about US$1.7bil in assets said to have been bought with stolen 1MDB funds.

Shukri revealed that a meeting with a “prince” from Saudi Arabia, who had purportedly donated the RM2.6bil to the former prime minister, could not show proof of making the donation.

MACC officers went to Saudi Arabia in 2015 after being “told” to see the prince who made the donation.

“Usually our standard operating procedure is that we look for witnesses ourselves. In this case, we were told who the witness was. So we went to Saudi Arabia and met the prince. He admitted making the donation. When we asked for supporting documents. he could not produce any,” Shukri explained.

He also cleared the notion that the murder of deputy public prosecutor Datuk Anthony Kevin Morais was linked to 1MDB.

“Kevin Morais’ case has nothing to do with 1MDB,” he said in response to allegations by Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown who said Kevin had leaked information to her about the AG’s Chambers’ investigation into SRC International.

Shukri also hit out at his predecessor Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad, calling him a “traitor” and accused him of protecting those who violated the law.

“He is supposed to make a case stronger, tell us to find more evidence so we can build a solid case. But instead he protected the wrong.

“I cannot work with a traitor, a person who lacks integrity. That was why when former MACC chief (Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed) left and he (Dzulkifli) took over, I decided to go for early retirement because I could not work with him,” he said.

Dzulkifli, who was then with the AG’s Chambers was promoted to the post of MACC chief on Aug 1, 2016. He quit on May 14 and has since returned to the AG’s Chambers.

Asked how damaging is this case to Malaysia, Shukri simply said: “The whole world knows about it’,”

Earlier, the 1MDB task force which met for the first time outlined its focus on the investigations – on asset recovery, to bring back cash and other assets derived from previous activities of 1MDB and also to take action against those involved.

The meeting was held at the MACC headquarters and was attended by its members.

Aside from Shukri they are former Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, former MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed and former Special Branch deputy director Datuk Abdul Hamid Bador.