ANTI-GRAFT authorities have been asked to look into claims that a high-ranking army intelligence officer had received RM7 million from Prime Minister Najib Razak weeks before the 2013 general election. 

Former air force major Zaidi Ahmad today lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in Penang over the allegations, which first surfaced on whistleblower site Sarawak Report earlier this week.

The allegation was later reported by news portal Malaysiakini.

The report alleged that a high-ranking officer from the Defence Intelligence Staff Division received RM7 million from Najib in 2013.

Zaidi, a former air force major, said the allegation that Najib had paid millions of ringgit to a high-ranking military officer just before the polls raised many questions. 

He said Najib should sue Sarawak Report while the officer concerned should lodge a police report if the claim was not true.

“Najib previously said he received donations from Arab royalty, but paying an army officer RM7 million just weeks before the 13th general election is questionable. 

“Payments are made for services and work. But what kind of work did the officer carry out which warranted such a huge sum of money? As a high-ranking army officer, he is not allowed to carry out any business.

“Did the work involve misusing personnel, equipment and the information database that belongs to His Majesty’s (the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong) service, and are supposed to be confidential?” Zaidi said today.

He also questioned if any alleged “work” entailed some form of election fraud involving registration of voters, or transfers and votes by professional or reservist military personnel and their families to ensure Barisan Nasional won the polls. 

He said it was corruption to offer “gifts”, whether in the form of money or others, to a public servant, let alone a high-ranking military officer who “knows many national secrets, and who had control over army assets such as personnel, equipment and confidential information”. 

“To regain the people’s confidence, the prime minister must take legal action against Sarawak Report, like what PAS has done recently,” Zaidi said.

PAS president Hadi Awang has sued Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle-Brown for defamation over an article that alleged the Islamist party had received RM90 million from Najib. The suit was filed in London.

Zaidi, who is Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng’s information officer, also asked if the military officer had declared his income, and whether he had distributed the RM7 million he allegedly received to other parties. 

“If he distributed the funds, who were the recipients? How much did each of them get? Did they declare the money in their tax (return) forms?”

He said the officer should also declare his personal assets and that of his close family members, adding that the Defence Ministry should investigate this allegation.

“The officer should also be ordered to go on leave pending the completion of the probe,” he said. – July 6, 2017.