(August 4): Why didn't the prime minister reveal from the very start that the US$700 million (RM2.6) billion in his personal bank accounts was from donors, asked veteran newsman Datuk A. Kadir Jasin, following yesterday's statement by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC).

Writing on his blog, Kadir said that just days earlier, a rumour making rounds claimed that several super rich Arab princes and sheikhs had “admitted” to donating a huge sum of money to Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

The former New Straits Times group editor-in-chief added that with the speedy turn of events since the termination of Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail as the attorney-general, and the Cabinet reshuffle last week, it was hard to expect people not to speculate.

Kadir asked why "Najib and his entire brigade of spin masters" were not fortright over the matter.

"Who are these donors and why did it take such a long time for the MACC and the 1MDB task force to discover that the US$700 million was from donations?

"With the benefit of hindsight, the donations story and the talk about the generous Arab benefactors could be wholly possible," wrote Kadir, adding that it was publicly announced that Najib’s wife, Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor, was close members of Arab royal families.

Kadir also questioned why businessman Low Taek Jho kept silent if the money in Najib's accounts was not from 1MDB.

"If the money in the prime minister's accounts was not from 1MDB, why didn’t Jho Low say so or why did people linked to the accounts had to run away from the country?," Kadir asked, adding that many questions on the state investor's modus operandi and dealings remain unanswered.

Low's ties to 1MDB were revealed in a series of exposes by whistleblower site Sarawak Report recently.

Kadir urged those being sought by the task force, including Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil and Datuk Suboh Mohd Yassin, to come forward and clear the prime minister's name.

Nik Faisal is managing director of SRC International Sdn Bhd, while Suboh is a shareholder in Gandingan Mentari.

The two companies are among the entities named by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) as being involved in the money trail of US$700 million being channelled to Najib’s personal bank accounts in AmBank in early 2013.

Both Suboh and Nik Faisal are currently wanted by the MACC which is investigating alleged financial wrongdoing in 1MDB, but have since gone missing.

Kadir urged MACC commissioner Tan Sri Abu Kassim Mohamed to resign for failing to discover earlier that the RM2.6 billion was from donations.

"How can they play play with the prime minister like that?

"Hopefully we are not being presented with yet another round of silap mata (magic tricks) and sihir (black magic) in the 1MDB saga.

"In Saudi Arabia, if you are found guilty of practising sihir, you can be put to death. For stealing you will have your hand chopped off.

Lying is “dosa besar” (capital sin)," he wrote.

Yesterday, MACC said the RM2.6 billion channelled into Najib’s accounts came from donors and not 1MDB.

The commission, however, did not identify the donors. – The Malaysian Insider