MACC conducts own probe into audio recordings

PUTRAJAYA: The anti-graft authorities have initiated their own investigation into the audio recordings believed to be linked to the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Latheefa Koya said the investigation is carried out to determine if there was power abuse by those in the recordings.

“We hope to wrap up investigations in a week or two. We are waiting for key witnesses to give statements, ” she said to reporters when met at a symposium on “Women, Corruption and Their Role in Fighting It”.

Latheefa however declined to comment when asked if former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and former MACC chief Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad would be called in to give their statements.

“I can’t give out (the names) but you can sense who, ” she said.

On Jan 8, MACC played nine clips of telephone conversations for the media.

It included Najib’s conversation with his wife as well as Dzulkifli and parties believed to be from the UAE.

On Monday, police said 12 people have had their statements recorded including former Tabung Haji chairman Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, Najib’s former principal private secretary Tan Sri Shukry Mohd Salleh and his former aide Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin.

Meanwhile, Latheefa said MACC will only decide to call AirAsia’s two top executives after going through documents on the purported bribery case involving the airlines from the UK’s Serious Fraud Office.

“We will wait for the documents. We have contacted them and we are waiting for them to respond, ” she said.

The MACC had initiated investigations into corruption allegations involving AirAsia executives and are in touch with authorities in the United Kingdom on this case.

The MACC Act empowers the commission to investigate any act of corruption committed by any Malaysian citizen or permanent resident even outside the country.

It was reported that Airbus will pay a series of record-breaking settlements including nearly £1bil (RM4.5bil) to the UK’s fraud office after admitting to “endemic” levels of bribery across international business.

Legal documents attached to the settlement revealed Airbus paying hundreds of millions of ringgit to sponsor a sports team linked to two unnamed executives described as “key decision makers” at AirAsia and AirAsia X, but unrelated to the airline business.

AirAsia Group rejected allegations of wrongdoing after reports cited legal documents showing Airbus paid US$50mil (RM204mil) and offered US$55mil (RM225mil) more, to sponsor a sports team linked to the two AirAsia and AirAsia X executives.

On Feb 4, AirAsia Group Bhd said its founders Datuk Kamarudin Meranun and Tan Sri Tony Fernandes have relinquished their executive posts as the budget carrier forms a committee to review the allegations against them.