Najib arrested by MACC for tampering of 1MDB report

PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has been arrested by graft investigators over the “tampering” of the 1MDB final audit report.

The former prime minister, was arrested around 11am at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters here, minutes after he arrived for a fresh round of questioning over the issue.

Najib was seen entering the MACC headquarters at around 10.42am on Monday (Dec 10).

MACC sources however said that he would be released if he can come up with money for bail.

On Nov 25, Auditor-General Tan Sri Madinah Mohamad said that parts of the 1MDB final audit report were removed. These sections mentioned the presence of fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Lo.

She revealed that the directive to make the changes came from Tan Sri Shukry Salleh, who was then the principal private secretary to Najib when he was prime minister.

The changes to the 1MDB report were made on Feb 26, 2016 on grounds that it was a "sensitive issue".

To date, apart from Najib, the MACC had questioned several people about the report tampering.

This includes former chief Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad, in his capacity as a legal officer in the Attorney-General’s Chambers, former Auditor-General Tan Sri Ambrin Buang, former chief secretary to the government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa and the then 1MDB group president and chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy.