Johari Ghani urges govt to investigate big wage earners involved in 1MDB scandal
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 27 — Former Finance Minister II Datuk Seri Johari Abdul Ghani urged the unity government to relook into all those who were involved in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) financial scandal.
He said investigation should involve managerial posts at all levels.
“The investigation is only focused on political (figures), it should also involve all managerial posts at all levels.
“It’s impossible that one organisation that issues 6.5 billion bonds, only one person is going in and out of court.
“What happened to the senior management who got big salaries worth millions? For me, Tambun (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) need to relook, because I don’t want future prime ministers, when they have to deal with a scandal, all those who worked in the respective entities offered themselves to be crown witnesses. That’s wrong,” Johari told the Parliament during his debate speech on the Budget 2023 retabling.
Johari who is also Titiwangsa MP further questioned why those who have big salaries (were not investigated), but when there is problem, it is all on ‘one person’.
“I don’t think this is fair. If there is any wrongdoing, take action, but the management level who worked for decades, in the entities they are found not guilty.
“How can this be? It’s like a cartoon series,” he added.
Johari also raised the question of why the Malaysian government did not file a suit against Goldman Sachs in the US.
“Why were negotiations carried out without the filing of a suit? Usually when you file a suit and then after you negotiate the pressure is better.
“But if there isn’t a suit against Goldman Sachs in the US, what for you file the suit here?
“The suit should be filed there only then they will talk,” he said.
He explained that in the US, once a suit is filed, they cannot underwrite any other businesses until they solve the problem.
“But what to do, we are the only county that has exposure to Goldman Sachs’s 6.5 billion but did not file a suit in the US, that I don’t understand,” he said.
