RM2.6 billion donation: Shahrir responds 15 questions by Johor MB's son

Johor Bahru MP, Tan Sri Shahrir Abdul Samad came up with some answers concerning the RM2.6 billion donation that went into the Prime Minister's personal account.

The Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BNBBC) chairman responded to a series of 15 questions posed by the son of the Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Khaled Nordin, Akmal Saufi, on his Facebook page who urged Datuk Seri Najib Razak to explain about the donation.

Akmal Saufi who is also chairman of the security, law and integrity committee for the Malaysian Youth Parliament, expressed doubts whether UMNO Supreme Council members were aware about the fund's transaction.

Below are questions posed by Akmal Saufi along with the answers given by Shahrir:

1. When Datuk Seri Najib received funds totalling RM2.6 billion, was he aware about the sum of money that had entered into his account?

Answer: Not only the Prime Minister knows (about it) but even Bank Negara knows.

2. What is the evidence that the money was a donation and not money related to 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad) as well as parties related to 1MDB transactions?

Answer An investigation was done. 1MDB denied their money put channelled into the political funds account of the Prime Minister, President of Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN).

3. As stated by MACC, the money was a donation. Were these donations contributed to the government, for UMNO's purpose or personal purposes?

Answer: For politics - UMNO and BN.

4. If the money is donated for UMNO, does the UMNO leadership especially the UMNO Supreme Council know about the donation?

Answer: As long as I was in the UMNO Supreme Council or the UMNO State Liaison Committee, we never raised any questions about donations were never raised nor it was disclosed to the members of the Supreme Council and state liason.

5. If the UMNO Supreme Council did not know about it, does that mean UMNO would not know its existence unless Dato Seri inform about it?

Answer: Same as answer number four.

6. When Dato Seri Najib intends to inform the Supreme Council if it is not exposed to the Supreme Council?

Answer: Same as answer number four.

7. Assuming that the donation was a personal donation to Dato Seri and not to UMNO, will Dato Seri accept donation while holding a position as a minister?

Answer: The Prime Minister said it was not for private usage.

8. Can a Minister or Deputy Prime Minister or the Prime Minister received the donation when holding positions in the government?

Answer: Can a Menteri Besar be prohibited from seeking political funds?

9. Do you need to declare the donations to the public and other members of the Cabinet?

Answer: Since when political donations and political funds should be disclosed to all parties? However, this situation can be changed by law so that political funds can be transparent. Currently, there is no law yet. I support the framework for political funding in accordance with the proposed transformation under the government's transformation program.

10. Was the Governor of Bank Negara and its scholars aware of the movement of the money amounting to RM2.6 billion into the country?

Answer: Of course, Bank Negara is aware and know about these money movements.

11.Is the Inland Revenue Board (IRB) aware of the amount of money that has been received Datuk Seri Najib?

Answer: The IRB is certainly aware because donors are not exempted from income tax, but the recipient does not have to pay taxes on the donations received.

12. If yes, does Datuk Seri Najib need to pay any income tax based on the amount of money accepted?

Answer: Same as answer number 11.

13. Can a Prime Minister get tax exemptions?

Answer: Minister, prime minister and minister allowances are not exempted from tax, only MPs allowance get exempted from tax.

14. If Datuk Seri Najib gets tax exemptions, are these exceptions made towards Datuk Seri Najib's salary Datuk Seri Najib or any donations he received?

Answer: Political donation are not subjected to tax, but the donors are. Only after April 1, 2015, a donation of more than RM500,000 are charged with goods and services (GST), but it is not clear whether political donations are excluded.

15. If the donation is meant for the government, then why the Finance Ministry did not know of its existence?

Answer: No one said the donation was for the government. So the question does not arise.