Not good enough, 1MDB
The company cannot simply shrug off the US probe. After all, it is alleged to be a vehicle for money laundering.
by Tariq Ismail
If 1MDB wishes to clear its tarnished name, it needs to work with local investigative authorities to look into the allegations of money laundering that the US Department of Justice (DoJ) makes in its civil suit.
To Malaysians concerned over corruption and embarrassed by the US action, it is not good enough for the government-owned company to simply say that it is not the subject of the DoJ investigation and that it has no US assets.
If 1MDB was listening closely, it would have heard that the investigation centres on individuals and officials connected to it. 1MDB is said to be a vehicle through which funds were allegedly laundered by the individuals being investigated.
1MDB and the investigative authorities must address the allegations and name the alleged culprits.
Yes, these are still only allegations, but allegations need to be addressed in a transparent way.
According the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report on 1MDB, certain individuals were accused of refusing to listen to the advice of the company’s board of directors. In light of investigations in the United States and other countries, these individuals should be called before a tribunal so that the authorities can determine where and when the alleged misappropriation of funds occurred.
The Federal Government, on its part, must not try to avoid hard questions by playing the spinning game. Above all, it must not resort to racial and religious narratives to try to split the people over the issue.
As for members of the ruling party, they must realise that loyalty to the party is not the same as loyalty to the nation and the citizens who voted them in.
Tariq Ismail is a co-founder of Aura Merdeka, an NGO created to foster ties among Malaysians.
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