Key witness in 1MDB case surrenders after 3 years on the run.
Suboh Mohd Yasin, a director of former 1MDB subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd, has been given full witness protection after surrendering himself to authorities.
Malaysiakini understands that the MACC had met him in Indonesia and recorded his statement there late last month with the help of its Indonesian counterparts.
“We met him three years ago, but he was not cooperative at the time, as then-prime minister Najib Abdul Razak was still in power.
Azlan Zamhari/Malaysiakini
“Now he (Suboh) is assisting investigations following the fall of Najib in the last general election, and we managed ‘to free him’ from (SRC director) Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil, who is still at large.
“Now Suboh is given full witness protection,” said a source within the MACC.
Nik Faisal, who is also a director of SRC International, is still at large and was said to be either in London, China or Indonesia.
However, the source stated that they have already identified the location of Nik Faisal and fugitive Jho Low, and are seeking Interpol’s help to bring them in.
The MACC had on Thursday stated they were seeking Nik Faisal and Low over its probe into the company.
A source informed Malaysiakini that arrest warrants have also been made out for the two.
Nik Faizal was the CEO at the time SRC International was established in 2011 as a subsidiary to the scandal-ridden state investment firm 1MDB, to serve as a strategic investment company for the energy sector.
Low is believed to be a key figure in 1MDB and to have close ties to Najib.
Singapore authorities revealed yesterday that they had been seeking Low since 2016 and that Interpol has issued a red notice for him.
An Interpol red notice is a request to locate and arrest an individual for whom a national arrest warrant has been issued.
Malaysiakini had also reported that Low had tried to meet with Dr Mahathir Mohamad after the latter was sworn in last month and that the businessperson is now in a country in which Malaysia has no extradition agreement with.
SRC International has now been placed under the Finance Ministry.
Malaysiakini was also told that the MACC had also met with newly appointed attorney-general Tommy Thomas yesterday and are expected to meet him again on Tuesday.
It was reported that the anti-graft body had been looking for the three men since 2015 to assist in their probe.
However, investigations were disrupted following the removal of then attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail, who had been heading the 1MDB task force, at the end of July 2015.
Gani was replaced by Mohamed Apandi Ali, who later cleared Najib of any wrongdoing over the matter of transfer of an RM2.6 billion political donation and RM42 million from SRC International into the former premier’s personal bank accounts. – Malaysiakini
