ڤي عيماو نافي محي الدين ترليبت دڠن ڤلڤاسن انق تيري نجيب
Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin did not have a hand in the Session Court’s decision to grant Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) on five counts of money laundering involving US$248 million of 1MDB funds.
This was made clear in a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), which said the decision was achieved by the prosecutor.
The assets that the Malaysian government expects to recover which Riza allegedly financed using 1MDB funds, worth US$108, comes atop the US$57 million that United States authorities recovered from Red Granite Pictures.
However, the three properties in question have already been seized by the US authorities previously, and it is understood that proceeds of the asset sale will be returned to Malaysia by the US Department of Justice.
This raises the question why Malaysian prosecution had to arrive at a settlement with Riza this week.
PETALING JAYA: Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin did not have a hand in the Session Court’s decision to grant Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz a discharge not amounting to acquittal (DNAA) on five counts of money laundering involving US$248 million of 1MDB funds.
This was made clear in a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), which said the decision was achieved by the prosecutor.
“The PM repeats his stance to not interfere with the dealings of the AGC and the judiciary in making any decision involving criminal cases in this country, especially high-profile cases,” it said.
On the 5th of July 2019, Riza, the stepson of former premier Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, pleaded not guilty to five counts of involvement in money laundering involving US$248 million (RM1.25 bilion) which were misappropriated from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund.
The charges, however, did not fall under an amended version of the Anti-Money Laundering, Prevention of Terrorism Financing and Proceeds from Unlawful Activities Act 2001 which would have resulted in heavier punishments upon conviction.
Current Attorney-General Tan Sri Idrus Harun claimed the decision was agreed “in principle” by his predecessor, Tan Sri Tommy Thomas, despite the latter’s insistence that a claim to the effect by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) was a lie.
The assets that the Malaysian government expects to recover which Riza allegedly financed using 1MDB funds, worth US$108, comes atop the US$57 million that United States authorities recovered from Red Granite Pictures.
The assets comprise properties in the US and the UK, as well as cash and a 93-year-old poster from a 1927 silent movie.
This was revealed by Idrus, who also said the letter of representation by Riza’s lawyers from Messrs Scivetti & Associates, dated the 18th of Nov 2019, underlined that Riza will surrender his rights in three properties seized by the US Department of Justice and return the assets or its value to the Malaysian government.
However, the three properties in question have already been seized by the US authorities previously, and it is understood that proceeds of the asset sale will be returned to Malaysia by the US Department of Justice.
This raises the question why Malaysian prosecution had to arrive at a settlement with Riza this week.
As recently as August 2019, it was reported that US prosecutors were seeking to sell the homes, as it requested a California court to lift a stay on forfeiture proceedings so that the properties can be sold.
THE THIRD FORCE
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