PETALING JAYA: Umno Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan has admitted to having named Prime Minister Najib Razak as the mysterious “Malaysian Official One” (MO1), mentioned by the US Department of Justice (DoJ) in its civil suits.
He, however, emphasised that MO1 was never named as the subject of the DoJ’s civil suits against those alleged to have misappropriated 1Malaysia Development Berhad’s (1MDB) funds.
“As I told BBC, it’s obvious that the so called MO1 referred to by the US DoJ is our prime minister.
“Many others were also referred to by the DoJ. But, critically, none of them, including MO1, were named as subjects of their investigation.
“As any lawyer will confirm, the difference between being named as the subject of a civil lawsuit and merely being referred to in an investigation, is black and white,” he said in a statement issued this evening.
The minister in the Prime Minister’s Department was referring to his interview with British media network BBC, where he reportedly said it was obvious that MO1, who was mentioned 36 times in the DoJ’s civil suits, was Najib.
The lawsuits also claimed that this official received some USD681 million of money, allegedly stolen from the state investment firm 1MDB, but returned most of it.
Rahman said MO1 was only painted in a negative light due to allegations by former Premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his Opposition allies.
“(They) are deliberately mixing the two up to deceive the Malaysian people.
“The failed protests their proxies organised, asking who MO1 is, are irrelevant as MO1 was not named as the subject of any DoJ civil suit.
“Meanwhile, after comprehensive investigations by multiple authorities, our prime minister has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
“So, the evidence is clear. And Mahathir’s smears will fail once again, just as all his attempts to topple Malaysia’s democratically elected government have failed miserably.”
Rahman, who is also the Barisan Nasional strategic communications director, had previously said only an idiot would not know who MO1 was.