Release of MACC audio clips linked to Najib’s court case legal, says Takiyuddin
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 — De facto Law Minister Datuk Takiyuddin Hassan has revealed that the release of audio clips by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) over a case linked to former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak was done legally.
Takiyuddin said, however, that a police investigation is underway to verify the possible unlawful release of information used for official investigations.
“The audio recording revealed by the MACC in January 2020 is allowed by the law (discretionary power) and it does not violate any provision of the law.
“However, based on the latest developments, the police have completed the investigation and forwarded it to the Attorney General’s Office on June 19 for further advice and views,” he said in a written reply to a question from Umno’s Tanjong Karang MP Tan Sri Noh Omar who queried the MACC’s integrity and professionalism in revealing the recordings.
On January 8, then MACC chief Latheefa Koya, released nine audio clips of conversations allegedly between Najib, his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and former MACC chief Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad, among others, which took place on January 5, 2016 and July 29 that same year, around the period when the US Justice Department announced its anti-kleptocracy investigation into 1MDB.
One of the audio clips was of a conversation allegedly involving Dzulkifli, when he was still a prosecutor, informing Najib about an “investigation paper”.
Latheefa reportedly claimed Dzulkifli appeared to have leaked investigation details to Najib who was a possible suspect at the material time.
Part of the audio excerpt also included a phone conversation between Najib and Rosmah that started off with the latter berrating Najib.
Following the release of the audio clips, the police have opened an investigation into the audio recordings received by the MACC.
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