The Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad said that it was Malaysian authorities which had first led the way with multiple investigations into 1MDB.
“The company has been the subject of multiple investigations within Malaysia, including by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Auditor-General and bi-partisan Public Accounts Committee.
“After comprehensive review, the Attorney-General found that no crime was committed. 1MDB is still the subject of an investigation by the Royal Malaysia Police,” Tengku Sariffuddin said in his statement released this morning.
Tengku Sariffuddin said the government has taken note of the DoJ’s civil lawsuits brought against various assets and “will fully cooperate with any lawful investigation of Malaysian companies or citizens in accordance with international protocols”.
“As the Prime Minister has always maintained, if any wrongdoing is proven, the law will be enforced without exception.”
The DoJ filed suits yesterday saying that over US$3.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB.
In its suits, filed in Los Angeles, the DoJ said it sought to seize assets “involved in and traceable to an international conspiracy to launder money misappropriated from 1MDB”.
1MDB also acknowledged the civil court action filed by the government of the United States of America.
“1MDB highlights that it is not a party to the civil suit, does not have any assets in the United States of America, nor has it benefited from the various transactions described in the civil suit,” it said in a statement released within hours after the DoJ press conference yesterday.
The state-owned investment firm said it had also not been contacted by the US Department of Justice or any other foreign agency in relation to their suit or investigations.
“1MDB will fully cooperate with any foreign lawful authority, subject to international protocols governing such matters and the advice of the relevant domestic lawful authorities.”
In the press conference which was streamed on its website, DoJ also alleged offences were committed over a four-year period and involved multiple individuals, including Malaysian officials and their associates, who conspired to fraudulently divert billions of dollars from 1MDB.
It specifically named Riza Aziz, who is Prime Minister Najib Razak’s stepson, Low Taek Jho (better known as Jho Low), and Abu Dhabi government officials Khadem al-Qubaisi and Mohamed Ahmed Badawy Al-Husseiny.
The DoJ’s seizure of more than US$1 billion worth of assets, the single largest seizure in US history, was expected to include properties and other assets purchased with money allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB.