‘Darling, you are the prime minister’: Malaysian authorities reveal 1MDB-linked Najib tapes

The anti-corruption commission says the nine calls show ‘criminal conspiracy’, with the former PM and his wife Rosmah among those recorded

They include audio of Najib asking a favour for his stepson, Riza Aziz, from Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed

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Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak arrives at the Kuala Lumpur High Court in June 2019. Photo: AP

Published: 4:50pm, 8 Jan 2020Updated: 10:21am, 9 Jan 2020

In a new twist in the trials of Najib Razak, anti-corruption authorities have revealed recorded conversations they say took place between the disgraced former Malaysian premier and various key figures in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) global financial scandal – including the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and various high-ranking Malaysian officials.

The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) described the nine recordings as “shocking” and said they indicated “criminal conspiracy at the highest level” after playing them at a press conference on Wednesday.

“This is of public interest and affects national security. From our own expertise, we can see this is abuse of power, criminal conspiracy and compromising national security,” said MACC chief Latheefa Koya.

The calls allegedly took place between Najib – who is currently facing more than 40 charges of graft and abuse of power in court – and former anti-corruption officials, his private secretary, and his wife Rosmah Mansor, who is also facing corruption charges.

The recordings were from conversations that took place between January and July 2016 – the period during which the United States Department of Justice launched its investigation into 1MDB. The Justice Department recently reached a settlement with fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, related to the sovereign wealth fund, which was robbed of billions.

The MACC received the recordings just after January 1 and decided to release them to the media after verifying their authenticity, Latheefa said. She declined to say how the commission had obtained the clips.

Riza Aziz, the stepson of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak. Photo: Reuters

They include audio of Najib purportedly asking Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for a favour for the former prime minister’s stepson Riza Aziz – who is also facing charges – to avoid the risk of being accused of money laundering.

“At the moment [Riza] is under a bit of pressure in America. I’m worried about him in case they make him the scapegoat,” said one recording, with the speaker saying the money had to appear as a legitimate loan agreement. “I don’t want him to be a victim when he was totally unaware about the source of the money.”