PMO: Why did Australian media omit Mahathir from bribery scandal article?

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak dismissed the allegation made by Australian dailies, The Age and Sydney Morning Herald, which reported that senior officials in the Australian government were aware of intelligence that implicates people in the offices of both Najib and his predecessor Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in a corruption case.

The case had triggered the prosecution of several Australian businessmen who worked for companies given the contract to turn the Malaysian paper notes into polymer notes.

A statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) today had stated that the bribe were paid over the period from 1999-2004.

“This is a case that has been ongoing for a long period of time, and the bribes alleged to have been paid were over the period 1999-2004, during the administrations of former Prime Ministers Tun Abdullah Badawi and Tun Mahathir Mohamad,” the statement said.

It added despite knowing the fact the Australian dailies had chosen not to mention Tun Mahathir in the article. The report had instead focused on Najib.

“This is despite knowing that the alleged bribes took place not during Prime Minister Najib's tenure, but during Tun Mahathir's; and despite Tun Mahathir being named in the suppression order regarding the case obtained by the Australian government.

“Instead, the entire article including its headline and photos focuses on and smears Prime Minister Najib,” the statement said.

The Prime Minister had ordered for legal action to be taken against the two dailies over the article written by the two dailies entitled “Bribery scandal linked to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak”, published on July 14.