Anwar produces statutory declaration exonerating him

Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim refuted recycled graft allegations, producing a statutory declaration of a retired Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) investigation director exonerating the former in the case.

“The case surfaced in early 1999 about a RM3 billion slush fund. I then asked for an independent commission to check all my accounts and accounts of my immediate family members in the country and overseas, as well as the accounts of then premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and other leaders, but there was no response from the government.

"Although I had denied the allegations, the ACA appeared at the Sungai Buloh prison and asked me to issue a detailed statement.

“They also conducted a very detailed investigation,” Anwar told a press conference at the Parliament after chairing the Pakatan Rakyat leadership council meeting.

Citing the statutory declaration Abdul Razak Idris signed on Nov 10, 2009, Anwar (left) said the ACA initiated investigation in 1999 based on Bank Negara assistant governor Abdul Murad Khalid’s statutory declaration that Anwar, during his tenure as deputy prime minister, had some 20 master accounts containing RM3 billion in assets, shares and cash.

“The investigation were conducted by a division under my supervision at the headquarters. Investigations were conducted meticulously, comprehensively and in-depth including trips overseas to Singapore and the United Kingdom.

“The investigation revealed that there is no case against Anwar Ibrahim or anyone related to the statutory declaration, therefore I ordered the investigation closed,” read out Anwar from Abdul Razak’s SD.

According to the New Straits Times (NST), a bank chief executive officer (CEO) had confessed to the ACA that Anwar instructed him to channel millions of ringgit into the accounts of individuals and companies.

In its front-page exclusive report today quoting sources, the daily said that the ACA (now the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, MACC) discovered the evidence when investigating alleged corruption and abuse of power by Anwar when he was deputy premier and finance minister.

However, the ACA could not offer the CEO as a witness because the instructions to transfer funds were largely verbal and without a paper trail, said the sources quoted in the report.

Instead, the ACA recommended that the Securities Commission pursues action against companies found to have breached the Companies Act and the Securities Commission Act. However, it is not known if this was pursued.

Reiterating the call for a public inquiry as he did when the case surfaced while he was serving his six-years prison term for corruption, Anwar said in the meantime he would consider suing the newspaper.

“But there are umpteen cases pending in court already, 12 to 15 cases. Every day they attack us and every day I must look for lawyers to fight them,” he lamented.