Govt keen to recover assets worth RM20bil abroad

PUTRAJAYA: There are assets worth about US$5bil (RM20bil) related to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) abroad and the government intends to recover them all.

This is why a special task force will be formed to work with local agencies and the authorities in countries where these assets are located, says the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Its deputy chief commissioner (operations) Datuk Seri Azam Baki said the task force would be spearheaded by the National Financial Crime Centre, which has a team to look into the money trail.

“There are many more assets that we want to recover, including in the United States, United Kingdom and Hong Kong.

“We are in the midst of forming this special team to recover the outstanding assets,” he told reporters here yesterday.

He said the task force was necessary as recovering assets abroad would be a complicated process.

Azam added that the amount was significant because apart from 1MDB, some of the assets to be recovered were those related to SRC International Sdn Bhd, formerly a 1MDB subsidiary.

He said the task force would carry out extensive probes, look into legal matters and establish cooperation with foreign authorities.On another matter, Azam said former defence minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein would be the next person to be questioned over the ministry’s land swap scandal and that the meeting with investigators would be held tomorrow.

He said Hishammuddin had requested this date as he was only available on that day.

Azam said a statement had been recorded from former deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi on Thursday.

“The investigation on the land swaps is ongoing and we have called several individuals for questioning,” he said.

Azam did not discount the possibility of the MACC also calling in former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak to help with the investigation.

One of the audit reports found that a former prime minister and former defence ministers were involved in the land swap deal for the development of the Muara Tuang and Penrissen camps in Sarawak.

Najib was prime minister while Ahmad Zahid was defence minister at the time.