[UPDATED] MACC says won’t stop recovering remaining 30% of 1MDB assets, funds

KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) will continue its efforts to recover the remaining 30% of assets and funds linked to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) at several locations abroad, said its chief commissioner Tan Sri Azam Baki.

Speaking to the media at its headquarters in Putrajaya today, Azam said the commission has so far recovered 70% assets linked to the sovereign wealth fund worth roughly RM28.93 billion.

“We are in the midst of recovering it in several locations abroad and we will not stop,” Azam was quoted as saying by Free Malaysia Today during the said press conference.

Last week, International Petroleum Investment Company (Ipic) and Aabar Investments PJS (Aabar PJS) agreed to pay US$1.8 billion (RM8.1 billion) to Minister of Finance Incorporated (MoF Inc) and 1Malaysia Development Bhd.

This came after MoF Inc and 1MDB reached a settlement regarding their dispute with the two companies.

In a statement then, the Finance Ministry said that with this settlement, Malaysia and Abu Dhabi look forward to continuing to “work together for the prosperity and economic benefit of both countries in the future”.

In November last year, a London judge gave the go-ahead to Malaysia to press its case against Abu Dhabi’s state-owned Ipic and Aabar PJS for their role in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal.

On a separate matter, Azam dismissed Bersatu secretary-general Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin’s notion that the commission had no reason to detain and remand the party’s treasurer-general, Datuk Mohamed Salleh Bajuri.

The decision to remand Salleh, he said, had followed the rules and laws under the MACC’s discretion.

Hamzah had said Salleh had been “very cooperative” and had been called up numerous times by the MACC in January over its investigation.

“I leave it to my investigating officers. They felt it was necessary to remand him at the time.

“We use our discretion (to seek a remand order) from time to time, depending on the case,” he was quoted as saying.

Last week, the MACC had detained Salleh for matters relating to the use of party funds.

An MACC source had told The Vibes then that he was arrested and has been remanded for two days.

Salleh’s arrest is the second high-profile arrest involving Bersatu leaders following the prosecution of the party’s information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan on February 21 for allegedly receiving RM6.9 million in bribes for securing a RM232 million road project.

Segambut Bersatu deputy chief Adam Radlan Adam Muhammad was charged the same day for allegedly soliciting between 3.5% to 7% of the value of a road project worth RM47.8 million.

It is believed these funds concern the use of RM92.5 billion under the Jana Wibawa economic stimulus programme.

The MACC had in January frozen Bersatu’s accounts under the Anti Money-Laundering Act. – The Vibes, March 7, 2023