This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on January 9, 2020

The phone recordings released by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) yesterday — including the alleged conversations of Datuk Seri Najib Razak — revealed how the former prime minister attempted to cover up the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) fiasco in 2016.

The nine recordings were dated between Jan 5, 2016 — just months after the top-level reshuffling in the government — and July 29, 2016, a little over a week after the US Department of Justice openly announced to seize US$1 billion in assets allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB.

They also showed how senior officials assisted Najib by leaking investigation information, and gave a peek into the inner communications between Najib and his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor. Below are excerpts of the recordings.

Jan 5, 2016

Former MACC chief Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad, then a deputy public prosecutor with the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), leaked investigation papers involving SRC International Sdn Bhd and 1MDB to Najib and Rosmah.

Dzulkifli: The AGC have received accepted the IP (investigation paper) yesterday. The recommendations, they are not very good.

Najib: How so? They said otherwise? […] They want to involve me.

Dzulkifli: I looked at it, and I felt like crying.

Najib: But I was not involved at all! […] How did Abu Kassim (then-MACC chief Tan Sri Abu Kassim) say something and did the other thing? […] How can that be. If the matter comes out, it will be difficult for us. I am meeting with the AG this Thursday.

Dzuklifli: Tan Sri AG (Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali) has no problem. The AG is very good. We are on the same page. We need to update Datuk Seri on the recommendation — by the MACC itself.

Najib: […] If the matter comes out it will leave a bad taste […]

Dzulkifli: Sorry Datuk Seri, I think you really were played […] We can handle. But the problem is if Apandi makes a decision and it is not in line with [MACC/Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail’s]. And we don’t know whether they will leak this […] There are more than 10, almost 20 [people in the know]. How do we cover [up], Datuk Seri?

Najib: […] Dia kuda-kuda kan (They played me).

Dzulkifli: Yes, true, Datuk Seri.

July 22, 2016

Najib informed United Arab Emirates (UAE) Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Zayed Al Nahyan of “dark clouds” due to the US Department of Justice (DoJ) filing two days before that. He talked of resolving an “impasse with respect to 1MDB and IPIC”, and made a “special request” to clear the name of his stepson Riza Aziz from the whole fiasco.

Najib: It is embarrassing for both countries. Embarrassing for Malaysia, and embarrassing UAE as well, and you know, personalities who are close to you. So I hope that we can find a solution as soon as possible.

Mohammed: Mr Prime Minister, I have consulted my guys here. I am fine [to meet on] Sunday but there is a catch [inaudible] is if this visit leaks. It will be unproductive for you and for me. So I try to find another solution […]

Najib: Yes, it is in our mutual interest Your Highness. So you don’t think I should fly over? You think people will know about it.

Mohammed: I think people will know about is, yes […]

Najib: I also have this personal request, Your Highness.

Mohammed: Yes.

Najib: That relates to Riza, you know, my son. And his movie. You see, the problem is relatively small, if there can be an agreement with Sheikh Mansour to have a loan agreement signed, and he will pay back according to schedule. That will show that it is a legitimate financing package. It is not money laundering, you see.

At the moment, he’s under… a bit of pressure. In America. I am worried about him, in case they make him a scapegoat, you see.

I would appreciate whereas with this package it looks positive, we can find a solution, I believe. I would appreciate if that agreement can be signed quickly with Sheikh Mansour or whoever designated by Sheikh Mansour so he can begin to pay back, he’s paid back some, he can continue to pay back so that it will appear as a legitimate loan agreement.

Which it is, you see. Because when he received it, the banks cleared the source of money. So he was not aware at all where it came from, you see.

So, I don’t want him to be a victim when he was strictly unaware about the source of money. He genuinely believed it was from Aabar [Investments PJS], and under the instruction of Sheikh Mansour […] So I need that agreement to be sorted out quickly, Your Highness. That is my special request. As soon as possible […]

Mohammed: I promise I will do everything within my power [inaudible] and I understand this is your son —

Najib: That is right. Yeah. Because he is totally innocent. All he wanted was to make movies and there was an offer of loan from Sheikh Mansour […] Now they are trying to connect him to 1MDB’s money, which is totally … came as a shock to him.

We will make it mister Prime Minister, Insyallah […] believe in me, I want to finish this.

Najib: Thank you, thank you Your Highness. It is very bad. Very serious. It could lead to something very, very un— unforeseen and catastrophic, for me, for our government, and also for you on your side. So it is to our mutual interest that we, you know, being so close, we need to resolve this — it is not something that is impossible, it is something which is actually within our means to resolve.

July 27, 2016

Rosmah called Najib and screamed at him — and then calmed down to advise on how to position himself politically following the DoJ revelation and Abu Kassim’s resignation from the MACC.

She also urged Najib to help clear Riza’s name, and told Najib how to navigate around the reluctant UAE officials, specifically Mubadala Investment Co managing director Khaldoon Al Mubarak, to drop the arbitration by International Petroleum Investment Co (IPIC) against 1MDB.

IPIC had just filed the arbitration in June 2016 seeking US$6.5 billion — money which was diverted from 1MDB to a fake IPIC unit.

Rosmah: No, I don’t like this. You are the prime minister, you should take charge. Not anybody else, okay?

Najib: Yeap. I understand.

Rosmah: And you’ve got goons around you, to advise you […] I told Amhari (then-Najib’s special officer Datuk Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin), just say [to Khaldoon to] withdraw the arbitration. They have to trust us [inaudible].

Najib: I said [to Amhari] you go to talk to Khaldoon and you convince him this — there is no point going for arbitration. If you go to arbitration everybody’s going to get hurt. I can speak to the Crown Prince, but their style is that they go back and say ‘I need to consult Khaldoon’.

Rosmah: Of course, you cannot blame him, lah. It is their culture. So we have to work around their culture. Maybe Khaldoon [has] to come here and talk to you, to Amhari, settle it. Not just talking over the telephone and all, it doesn’t work. Okay?

Najib: We can invite him here.

Rosmah: Invite him! Invite him, and sort it out once and for all. I mean, he knows us. It is not that he does not know us. Kau dah makan minum rumah kita semua [We shared a meal in our house]. Please invite him.

Najib: Yes, that is a good idea. Sure. I will tell him that.

Rosmah: And Amhari. And sit down. So he can see the totality of the picture. And in the meantime, we can also sort out Riza’s problem. Riza’s problem is not — it is just that, you know, somewhere along the line, the thing was not completed. Itu je!

Najib: Sure, sure, sure.

Rosmah: Invite him. Tell Khaldoon, he can bring his lawyer. Come down here. I’ve got a lot of things to resolve. Then, talk to the Crown Prince. Tell him Khaldoon is here to talk to us and settle it. Once and for all. Darling, we’ve wasted one week already.

Najib: It is not wasted, a lot of things are moving already. They want to see some movement on the other side, the Chinese side.

Rosmah: It doesn’t matter.

Najib: The Chinese side is moving already, you see.