Tun Mahathir urges independent commission to probe 1MDB

Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday called for a ‘totally-independent commission’ to evaluate and investigate the debt-ridden national investor 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

The former prime minister said this during a closed-door meeting with a group of bloggers which was held at his office near here on Saturday.

In a video clip of the interview, Dr Mahathir voiced his dissatisfaction over Najib’s answers on the current state of 1MDB, during a special programme aired over TV3 on Friday. The one-hour interview was conducted by Hamdan Ahmir.

Dr Mahathir, however stressed that the Auditor-General’s office has failed to responsibly execute thorough investigation or forensic research on 1MDB and has not set a deadline as to when the probe would end

“Najib has the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) along with other bodies to make the investigation which takes between two and three years. Until the next election, he (Najib) will still be here or Barisan Nasional will lose.

"I think there will be be a lot of trouble for everyone and those who cover up would have to pay a price,” said Dr Mahathir.

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For a national issue such as the 1MDB which had been allegedly linked to Najib himself, Dr Mahathir said investigation would require a longer period of time to be solved.

“So, I urge for an independent commission to probe 1MDB. We need to have neutral people to conduct a thorough investigation as to where the money invested in 1MDB had gone to. Who was handling the money?" he asked.

Dr Mahathir also questioned the credibility of Low Taek Jho, the 33-year-old Malaysian businessman also known as Jho Low, whose flamboyant lifestyle had made headlines, recently.

“Who is this Jho Low and why has he suddenly became so important? He has no position in the government as he is not a civil servant. Suddenly he has such power, and people tell me, although I cannot say it is proven that he conducts himself as if he is in the public office,” he said.