Najib calls Pakatan ‘vengeful’ for charging stepson Riza

Timothy Achariam Timothy Achariam Updated 6 years ago · Published on 5 Jul 2019 9:53PM · 8 Comments

Najib Razak accuses the current government of being vengeful for pursuing charges against his stepson. – The Malaysian Insight file pic, July 5, 2019.

NAJIB Razak has questioned the Pakatan Harapan government for charging his stepson Riza Aziz today as his transactions were all done in the United States. 

“Riza has never been charged by the US Department of Justice for criminal charges for the past four years although the company is based in America and all transactions were done in America.

“(But) all charges (today) are for transactions that happened outside the country and involves foreign banks and investors. Not one of them involved transactions in Malaysia,” Najib wrote in a Facebook post.

Riza today pleaded not guilty at the Sessions Court to five charges of money laundering amounting to US$248.17 million (RM1.18 billion) belonging to 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) between April 12, 2011 and November 14, 2012.

Riza was accused of receiving the funds linked to 1MDB through bank accounts of Hollywood production house Red Granite Pictures, which he co-founded, and was charged in the US for misappropriating monies from the investment fund.

The funds were transferred from the Swiss accounts of Good Star Ltd — linked to fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho — and Aabar Investment PJS Ltd to the accounts of Red Granite in the US and Singapore, which Riza co-founded. 

Najib said the PH government was being vengeful and covering up its own flaws by pursuing the charges against Riza, when the DOJ had dropped its forfeiture suit against his stepson after reaching a settlement.

The Red Granite film company was ordered to pay US$60 million (RM248 million) to the DOJ to settle claims that it finance movies with more than US$100 million of 1MDB funds.

“But the PH government is not satisfied and have charged him because of political vengeance,” Najib said.

He added that he had no knowledge of his stepson’s dealings other than the fact that Red Granite was involved in producing movies.

“In America, every film project needs to find investors, some of the investors were from 1MDB, this is why DOJ took action then,” he said. 

The charges against Riza, under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti Money-Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act 2001 (AMLATFA), carry a punishment of maximum five years jail and/or maximum RM5 million fine.

To criticism that Riza was facing double jeopardy, deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib had said that AMLATFA allowed the prosecution of Malaysian citizens even though the offence was committed abroad. – July 5, 2019.

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Comments

  • So the Government is vengeful for charging a person suspected to criminal activities?

    Posted 6 years ago by Yoon Kok · Reply

  • So the Government is vengeful for charging a person suspected to criminal activities?

    Posted 6 years ago by Yoon Kok · Reply

  • Vengeful? Its his just desert for accepting stolen public funds that his father sent to him through Jho Low

    Posted 6 years ago by Rupert Lum · Reply

  • Yes, Riza is involved in making movies. Nothing wrong with that. But you conveniently left out to mention where the money which Riza used to make movies came from. The money came from 1MDB Malaysia - rakyat money!

    Posted 6 years ago by LJ WONG · Reply

  • It's the source, Jib. You know very well where it originated from. Loser!

    Posted 6 years ago by CD E · Reply

  • Ajib, u r really damage beyond repair. The only way to rescue yourself is change your brain, if u can. Be accountable to what u ve done, reveal everything and u will leave a legacy as a true repent leader for all his wrong doings. This will bring every wrong doers in 1mdb to justice. Episode closed and we March forward without any of your kleotocrate supporters.

    Posted 6 years ago by James Wong · Reply