KUALA LUMPUR: DAP’s Tony Pua today reflected how former attorney-general Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali had inadvertently shown the public the money trail of 1MDB-linked funds which ended in Datuk Seri Najib Razak‘s accounts.
The former Damansara member of parliament said he vividly remembers seeing Apandi holding up a flow chart in a 2016 press conference where Apandi cleared Najib of wrongdoing.
On Friday, found guilty on all 21 money laundering charges linked to the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds. He was sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment and fined RM13.4 billion
In a Facebook post, Pua recalled Apandi’s press conference.
“He picked up some documents from the files on his desk, waved them at the reporters to emphasise the fact that the A-G and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission have done extensive work to investigate the matter. And that the matter should be put to rest.
“Unbelievably, the then AG declared Najib’s innocence while holding up the money trail describing how money went from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB, into several of Najib’s private bank accounts, including to pay for Najib’s personal credit card bills.”
Pua said he contacted several newsrooms to obtain the original images and eventually secured a sufficiently sharp photograph from a news portal.
“I reconstructed the chart, referencing it against several other pieces of information we already possessed,” he said.
Pua said he called a press conference the next day to debunk what Apandi had said.
“The flow chart was not a mysterious concoction or discovery by me or any other 1MDB critics. It was showcased by none other than the A-G himself.”
He also called on the Yang di-Pertuan Agong should withdraw Apandi’s “Tan Sri” title.
Earlier today, lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo has questioned the status of a 2022 investigation into Apandi over his handling of the 1MDB case.
She said the public has a right to know the outcome of the probe, following Najib’s conviction in the 1MDB case.
Previously, Apandi declined to go into detail over Najib’s conviction in the 1MDB case, saying that
“Sometimes, one has to pay for lapse of intelligence”.
When asked for clarification over his comments, including who he was alluding to, Apandi declined.
“No further comments. It is open to interpretation. Thank you.”
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