Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, Datuk Seri Zahid Hamidi had an interesting encounter in his current visit to the United States.
In a report from Washington earlier today, Bernama quoted Zahid as saying that the issue of 1MDB was not a major focus of a probe by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
Ahmad Zahid, who is on a working visit to the administrative centre of the United States said 1MDB was not raised at all during his meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry and also in discussions with senior FBI officers.
He told Malaysian journalists in Washington:
“Nothing on 1MDB was raised by the FBI or John Kerry or any party that I met when I was in Washington.
“(1MDB) is not a big issue to them at all.
“”Maybe the issue is big as it is shouted about in the country (Malaysia) because in our country it is used as a political issue.”
Zahid had said nothing new, for he had not rebutted the New York Times report of Sept. 22 that a US federal grand jury is examining allegations of corruption involving Najib and people close to him under the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative 2010.
Was Zahid afraid to ask FBI whether Najib is being investigated by the US Department of Justice under the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative 2010 for fear of an affirmative answer?
Since Zahid had met with John Kerry as well as the deputy director of FBI, Mark F Giuliano and senior officials of FBI, it is neither satisfactory nor acceptable for Zahid to take the passive attitude so that he could say that “not even a word mentioned on 1MDB” after his meeting with US and FBI officials.
Zahid should explain why he did not ask point-blank whether the New York Times report on Sept. 22 that Najib was being investigated by the US Department of Justice under the Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative 2010, so that there could be a straightforward denial by the US Department that Najib was being investigated by the US authorities as to whether he is a kleptocrat.
[Speech (2) at the DAP Pengkalan Rinting Branch Anniversary Dinner in Johor Baru on Saturday, 10th October 2015 at 9 pm]
#1 by Jeffrey on Sunday, 11 October 2015 - 9:50 pm
Investigations, when on going, are confidential. Even if specifically asked they won’t tell (when investgations are on going), let alone when not asked. It is trite that no investigator worth his salt will tell the world what it is investigating to compromise his own investigations.
#2 by Bigjoe on Monday, 12 October 2015 - 8:35 am
What is to be noted is that IT MAKES NO SENSE FOR THE FBI OR US JUSTICE to raise an on-going investigation and Zahid Hamidi and anyone who knows anything about foreign diplomacy knows that BUT Zahid Hamidi can’t help himself but twist it at home for his boss to exaggerate its meaning. He knows full well there is a high probability his current statement will look ridiculous later. HE HAS NO FEAR OF BEING LATER PROVEN WRONG, HE CARES LITTLE WHAT WE WILL THINK OF HIM LATER WHEN HE IS PROVEN WRONG..
In other words, Zahid Hamidi has TOTAL UTTER CONTEMPT AND DISGUST FOR OPINION OF THE MASSES..