Rahman hints special task force was IGP’s idea

"No Cabinet order to set up task force, wrong for Attorney-General to take part."

KUALA LUMPUR: Barisan Nasional spokesman Abdul Rahman Dahlan has hinted that the now-disbanded special task force into Najib Razak’s personal bank accounts was the doing of the Inspector-General of Police (Khalid Abu Bakar).

The special task force was not authorised by the Cabinet, said Rahman in a special interview with The Star Online.

He said “there is no executive order from the Cabinet to constitute that task force to investigate that particular issue” when asked who was now investigating the affairs of 1Malaysia Development Bhd, the troubled government investment arm.

He pointed out that the original task force of “the Four Tan Sris” was to look into the banking system and flow of money.

“When there was an instruction to investigate the RM2.6bil that task force was used,” he said but pointed out that the Attorney-General could not be part of the task force because of a conflict of interest. “His job is to prosecute. He cannot be involved in investigation,” Rahman said.

The special task force was formed to investigate news reports of a deposit of US$700 million, reportedly from funds linked to 1MDB, into private banking accounts in the name of Najib Razak, the prime minister.

It comprised the Attorney-General, the police, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commissison and Bank Negara Malaysia. It was disbanded last month, after the Attorney-General was dismissed.

Asked by The Star who was now investigating 1MDB, Rahman said: “The special task was something the IGP wanted, I suppose. The police, MACC, and Bank Negara can conduct their own individual investigations without having that task force. That is not a problem. But the task force doesn’t have the mandate from the Cabinet.”

He said the original task force comprising the heads of the four agencies (described by Raja Petra Kamaruddin as “the four Tan Sris”) was set up to look at such matters as money laundering, the illicit flow of funds, illegal use of money changers for moving money, illegal transactions involving terrorism and drugs and other loopholes in the system.