Prove it, show us your accounts, Dr M tells Najib

(Malay Mail Online) – Instead of just declaring his innocence verbally, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak should clear his name in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal by publicly furnishing details from his bank accounts, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Dr Mahathir, now Najib’s harshest critic, told UK’s BBC in an interview that the solution was a simple one since it was the prime minister’s accounts that were named in last week’s damning news report by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the controversy.

“The proof of the pudding is in the eating. You say you deny.. lets see the accounts,” the country’s longest-serving prime minister told journalist Jennifer Pak, according to a clip from the interview posted on BBC’s website this morning.

According to WSJ’s report last Friday, documents from investigators showed that some US$700 million (RM2.6 billion) from 1MDB were moved between government agencies, banks and companies before it ended up in Najib’s accounts.

Najib, in his response to the claims, accused Dr Mahathir of working with foreigners to produce the WSJ report.

In his statement on Facebook, the embattled prime minister also insisted that the allegations were not backed by evidence and were likely part of a concerted campaign to unseat him.

Asked by BBC’s Pak to respond to Najib’s accusation that he was masterminding a ploy to topple him, Dr Mahathir said, “No.”

“Why doesn’t he (Najib) answer the charges against him. When people charge him over something, he says it is a ploy, it is nonsense, it is not true.

“But prove… prove that it is not true. It is very easy for him to prove that it is not true. He has these accounts in the bank… all he has to do is say — You examine my accounts, you look at it,” he said.

According to reports this morning, Najib’s lawyers have sent a letter to the WSJ, urging the international business daily to confirm if it accused their client of misappropriating the US$700 million it claimed was funnelled into his accounts.

Instead of the usual letter of demand that is used to begin defamation lawsuits, Najib’s lead counsel Datuk Mohd Hafarizam Harun confirmed to the Malay Mail Online that they opted to use this as their first course of action.

In the letter, WSJ was given two weeks to respond to demands for a clarification if its report meant it was alleging misappropriation.

Najib’s lawyers also told WSJ that the confirmation is also necessary to enable them to then advise Najib on his “appropriate legal recourse”.