Pua: Najib must explain WSJ report on stepson

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak can no longer justify his continued silence on his stepson’s spending spree in the United States, warned Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua in a statement.

Already, he added, the Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) previous allegations such as billions of dollars of 1MDB funds may have been misappropriated to a fraudulent Aabar Investment PJS Limited have proven themselves to be true.

The Prime Minister must now show proof that Riza Aziz, with less than four years prior experience as a junior banker with HSBC London, prior to founding Red Granite in 2011, obtained his wealth legally, above board and unrelated to 1MDB, demanded Pua who is also DAP National Publicity Secretary.

“If Najib refuses to do so, then he cannot blame ordinary Malaysians who believe him to be completely guilty of corruption and abuse of power.”

“Najib must now explain how his stepson, Riza Aziz, could amass such enormous wealth which the WSJ now attributes it sourced from 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).”

Pua was commenting on the WSJ, for the first time on Thursday, making the allegation that the source of funds for certain property purchases by Riza Aziz originated from the controversial debt-ridden 1MDB.

Riza Aziz reportedly acquired an USD33.5 million 7,700-square-foot duplex in the Park Laurel condominium tower overlooking New York’s Central Park and an 11,000-square-foot walled mansion in Beverly Hills for more than USD17.5 million in 2012.

These property transactions worth USD51 million (RM204 million) was first exposed in December 2013. They were subsequently confirmed by Riza Aziz himself to the New York Times.

Najib had told The New York Times (NYT) previously that he “does not track how much Riza Aziz earns or how such earnings are reinvested.”

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