The new Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC) chief on who failed him, who had his back, who did not stand by him over his probe into 1MDB in 2015.
Shukri’s claims:
- Shahidan Kassim and Paul Low failed him when he needed them
- His boss Abu Kassim stood by him
- Ministers and Conference of Rulers did not look into removing Najib
- Only 3 ministers dared speak up – Muhyiddin Yassin, Shafie Apdal and Husni Hanadzlah, all subsequently sacked by Najib
Denials:
- Paul Low denied accusations, said he helped secure the “release” of Shukri’s men, claimed ministers had supported the MACC investigation to go on and had conveyed the message to Najib
- Zahid Hamidi, Hishammuddin Hussein and Tengku Adnan denied knowing about MACC’s appeal for action against Najib
- Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal denied Rulers turned a blind eye on 1MDB, said they gave serious attention to the issue, cited a statement urging the government to take appropriate stern action against the parties involved
Datuk Seri Mohd Shukri Abdull accused two former Minister in Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim and Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan, of not having his back when he was removed from his position.
However, he expressed his gratitude to his boss Abu Kassim Mohamad for standing by him.
In his tell-all press conference, Shukri said he was crying like a baby in Washington when he heard his men and other officers in the 1MDB team then was told to go on leave and transferred out.
“I immediately texted Shahidan Kassim and Paul Low. I said please return my men or I will use my power as MACC deputy chief commissioner to arrest the officer who gave the order for abusing his power,” he said.
“They replied telling me to calm down and that those detained would be released and those who were transferred would be transferred back,” an emotional Shukri told a hall of more than 100 foreign and local media yesterday.
“I knew that I would be sacked or detained but I forgot everything because I was doing it for the country. There were many threats towards me and Abu Kassim but we never gave up.”
Shukri also said that he and Abu Kassim met with the Conference of Malay Rulers to ask for their help to remove Najib from office but to no avail.
“We took the initiative because we loved the country and met with the Malay rulers, twice we met them and pleaded that they look into this matter, but we were left disappointed.
“We told them the scandals involving 1MDB were more than just rumours, and that for the good of the country, Najib had to be removed. But our pleas were not entertained,” he said.
He also alleged they had gone to ministers prior to meeting the Council of Rulers for the same objective.
“I explained to the ministers then even though I was facing mounting threats, that the RM42 million scandal with SRC and RM2.6 billion is true. It was not made up.
“I told them throw Najib, replace him with ministers like Zahid or Hishammuddin then.
“I told them this is huge. It’s too huge to be protected. We worked so hard to reveal all this. Even the US is ready to return the money.
“But only three dared to speak up then: Muhyiddin Yassin, Shafie Apdal and Husni Hanadzlah.”
All three were sacked by Najib.
Shukri said he was approached by an MP who tried to pay him to stop the investigation.
He did not name the MP but said that he came from the north and is known as King of Cash.
“Twice, he came to me wanting to bribe me to let the investigation go.
“The second time, I told him he had better leave me alone or I’d arrest him.”
Datuk Paul Low confirmed that he was confronted by Shukri but denied the accusations. He said that he helped secure the ‘release’ of Shukri’s investigating officers.
“Of course I got back his men, but as far as investigations go, it’s not within my powers.”
Low said he had used “appropriate channels” to return Shukri’s officers back to the agency where they belonged.
He, however, said that he was not able to influence the outcome of the investigations.
“Of course I supported the investigation to go on.
“Means at the starting of the formation of the investigation team, I knew about it and I gave my blessing to it also,” Low told the Malay Mail.
He added that Cabinet ministers had also supported the MACC investigation to go on, and had conveyed the message to Najib, during meetings.
“No, I cannot tell. I cannot tell (who spoke up),” he was quoted as saying when asked to divulge the identities of the Cabinet members who had addressed the issue.
Asked to respond to Shukri’s revelation that he had appealed to several government ministers to act against Najib over the 1MDB scandal, former deputy prime minister Dato’ Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said he did not know about MACC’s appeal for action against Najib.
“It was not part of the information that I had,” he told a press conference at the Umno headquarters yesterday.
Zahid, when asked about the matter, also turned to Umno vice-president Hishammuddin Hussein on his right and secretary-general Tengku Adnan Tengku Mansor on his left and asked: “Did you meet (MACC)?”
Neither said anything, but merely displayed facial expressions appearing to shrug off the matter.
The Keeper of the Rulers’ Seal Syed Danial Syed Ahmad responded that the Malay rulers did give serious attention to the 1MDB issue.
Syed Danial said the Rulers issued a statement on Oct 6, 2015, where they stated that the government should take appropriate stern action against the parties involved.
The Rulers had also expressed concern that if the issue was not handled wisely and left unsolved for long, it would affect the national economy and the people.
The new Pakatan Harapan government has recalled Shukri to lead the MACC and vowed to resolve the 1MDB scandal.
Shukri said when the Barisan Nasional lost in GE14, many of the ministers he had met in 2015 had contacted him to voice their regret in not acting against Najib.
“I told them that I had no self-interest, I was not asking for money, not asking for posts, I was speaking the truth so that we can put right the situation before it is too late. This 1MDB, this RM2.6 billion is not fake, this is a true story and the case is too big to be protected,” he said.
Related reports:
May 23, Shukri’s Thrilling Tell-All
May 22, Shukri: Former MACC Chief Dzulkifli a Traitor
May 22, Shukri: No Proof RM2.6B in Najib’s Account Was a Donation
May 22, New MACC Chief Threatened While Probing 1MDB