All requests regarding 1MDB were dealt promptly with, say Singapore police

KUALA LUMPUR: All requests from the Malaysian police for their investigation into Datuk Dr Tawfiq Ayman's links to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) were promptly dealt with, say the Singapore police.

“For the investigations into Tawfiq, Malaysian police made the request to travel to Singapore to conduct further investigations on Dec 2 last year and the Singapore Police’s commercial affairs department (CAD) responded on Dec 6 to agree to the request,” said the Singapore police in a statement on Sunday (March 13).

It added that multiple dates for the visit by Malaysian police were proposed, along with arrangements to comply with Covid-19 border measures.

This comes after the Singapore police responded to media reports stating that Malaysian police were waiting for Singapore’s permission and assistance to conduct further investigations into 1MDB and Tawfiq, the husband of former Bank Negara governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz.

“In the last correspondence on Jan 10, CAD proposed for the visit to be conducted on Feb 8 and 9 and the Malaysian police responded on March 8 to request to enter Singapore in mid to late March,” it said.

The Singapore police added that they had been facilitating Malaysia’s 1MDB-related investigations in other ways since 2015, including arranging for the repatriation of about S$88mil (RM274mil) of seized 1MDB-related monies to the Malaysian government.

“We will continue to facilitate requests for assistance in accordance with Singapore’s legal framework,” it said.

The police investigation into Dr Tawfiq and his alleged link to the 1MDB scandal are ongoing.

Bukit Aman Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) director Comm Datuk Mohd Kamarudin Md Din said they were in the process of identifying several documents and witnesses abroad.

Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Tan Sri Azam Baki said their task in the matter was to repatriate funds from Singapore, while the police were conducting the probe into Tawfiq.

In March last year, it was reported that Tawfiq was investigated by the police after 1MDB-linked funds were said to have been transferred to his Singapore-based bank account.

The case was conducted under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Prevention of Financing of Terrorism and Proceeds From Illegal Activities Act 2001.

In November, the MACC revealed that Singapore had repatriated US$15.4mil in 1MDB-linked funds involving Tawfiq’s company to Malaysia.