Speaking at a press conference at Wisma Amanah Negara here today, Amanah Communications Director Khalid Samad said the King’s support would lend legitimacy to the efforts made by Chang, who is the former political secretary to Dr Mahathir Mohamad, and Husam, who is a former PAS vice-president.
“We don’t want certain parties to repeal the efforts made or for them to have locus standi in the matter. For this reason, we need the Agong to lend his support for the initiative,” the Shah Alam MP said.
He said he and the other five Amanah lawmakers – Kota Raja MP Siti Mariah Mahmud, Sepang MP Mohamed Hanipa Maidin, Parit Buntar MP Mujahid Yusuf Rawa, Kuala Krai MP Mohd Hatta Ramli and Kuala Terengganu MP Raja Kamarul Bahrin Shah Raja Ahmad – were all united in their call for the Agong’s support.
Raja Bahrin, who was also present at the press conference, said they were also in the midst of gathering signatures from all other MPs, including those from PKR, DAP, PAS, other Opposition parties, as well as any Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties keen on seeing the “stolen” assets returned to the country.
“Among the contents of the letter is that the Agong review how the 1MDB controversy has tarnished the country’s image,” the architect-turned-politician said.
Raja Bahrin, who is also Amanah International Bureau Chief, said the bureau viewed seriously the fact that to date there had been no proactive action taken by the government to address the US Department of Justice (DoJ) civil suits to seize assets purchased using funds said to have been embezzled from 1MDB.
The party’s Strategy Director, Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, said Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali’s inaction was inexcusable as all that had been pointed out by the DoJ had already been stated in the Public Accounts Committee’s (PAC) report.
“The AG has still not taken any action and has instead denied that money had been stolen, embezzled or laundered from 1MDB.”
On Aug 13, Chang and Musa filed a class action suit in the United States against individuals linked to 1MDB.
Among those named as defendants included Red Granite Pictures, the film production and distribution company’s co-founders Christopher Joey McFarland, Prime Minister Najib Razak’s stepson Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz, Malaysian billionaire Jho Low and his tax attorney, Debra Whelan Johnson, as well as her firm, Metropolis IX Capital Advisors LLC, Goldman Sachs Group and its former banker, Timothy Leissner.
The plaintiffs alleged these individuals and entities were involved in transactions that aided in the theft of 1MDB’s funds.
The class action suit is seeking damages for the theft of the state investment firm’s funds as well as to recover assets acquired using the stolen funds.