Don’t pretend 1MDB money didn’t help Umno win GE13, ex-minister tells Cabinet

Former minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim is critical of the Umno ministers who question Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak over money transffered into private bank accounts under the PM's name in early 2013, despite having utilised such funds to help in their own GE13 campaign in 2013. – The Malaysian Insider pic, July 6, 2015.

The Cabinet, especially its Umno ministers, should not plead ignorance about the use of money from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) in financing the 2013 general election, former minister Datuk Zaid Ibrahim said.

Zaid said these ministers should resign as well, in addition to Datuk Seri Najib Razak, over the troubled state investor which opposition lawmakers have accused of being a slush fund for the prime minister.

"They cannot feign surprise that Najib had so much cash, not when they gleefully accept his largesse from time to time without asking any questions.

"They have kissed his hands and failed to express any unhappiness with his generosity," wrote Zaid, who was a minister in the administration of Najib's predecessor, Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

"There were no cries about wanting to find out where this money came from. But suddenly, they want him removed because he was 'caught' – not for any other reason," Zaid said in a post on his blog.

Zaid was writing on claims made in the Wall Street Journal and Sarawak Report on July 3 that US$700 million (RM2.67 billion) of 1MDB money had been transferred into Najib’s personal bank accounts just before the 13th general election held in May 2013.

The money went through a chain of other companies, including Putrajaya-owned SRC International Sdn Bhd.

Najib has denied ever taking any funds fsrcrom 1MDB for "personal gain" and pinned the blame for the latest report on former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who has in recent months called for his resignation.

WSJ has stood by its report.

However, the Attorney-General has announced that a special task force had raided the companies named in the WSJ report as part of the investigations into its claims.

Some of Najib’s Cabinet colleagues have also demanded that the WSJ reports be investigated.

Zaid, in his blog post, said that the funds had been transferred to Najib's personal accounts so that he could personally hand out money to his party leaders.

But Zaid added that what Najib had done – using money to buy loyalty – was nothing new, and that other Umno leaders had done the same thing in the past.

Malaysia's election law stipulates that spending by candidates in elections be limited to RM100,000 for a state seat and RM200,000 for a parliamentary seat.

- TMI