KUALA LUMPUR — Datuk Seri Najib Razak decried the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) disclosure on Wednesday (Jan 8) of audio recordings involving him and former chief commissioner Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad, among others, allegedly colluding over the 1MDB scandal.

When asked to comment on the sidelines of one of his 1MDB corruption trials, the former prime minister said such a public revelation was unprecedented in the country’s history.

He went on to suggest that the timing of the release was connected to the Jan 18 Kimanis by-election in Sabah.

“I am shocked with this revelation. And I am studying their (recording) contents and I have referred this to my lawyer.

“This has never been done in our country’s history and the timing is so close to the Kimanis by-election,” he told reporters after his SRC International Sdn Bhd corruption trial at the High Court in Kuala Lumpur.

When asked if he planned to take any action over the possibility that he might have been wire-tapped, Najib said he will explore his legal options.

He also refused to confirm or deny the authenticity of the recorded conversations, saying he needed time to study them.

At a special press conference at the MACC headquarters on Wednesday morning, MACC chief Latheefa Koya released recordings of conversations between Jan 5, 2016 and July 29 that same year — around the period when the US Justice Department announced its anti-kleptocracy investigation into 1MDB.

During Ms Latheefa’s press conference, Najib was testifying in his own defence in his SRC International RM42 million (S$13.82 million) corruption trial.

Aside from Najib and Mr Dzulkifli, other recorded conversations involving Najib’s wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Umno’s Baling MP Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim and several foreign dignitaries were also revealed.

The phone conversation between Najib and Rosmah started off with the latter screaming angrily at Najib:

July 27, 2016, 12.46am (Conversation between Najib and Rosmah)

Rosmah: Can I advise you something?!

Najib: Ya ya, anything?

Rosmah: They tell you to slow down but Abu Kassim (referring to then-MACC chief commissioner) is talking, making statements and taking pictures with Pak Lah (referring to former Malaysian Prime Minister Ahmad Badawi). Ay! They are making him the hero and you are the villain you see. And all these people can’t they see the priority is you and not anybody else.

Najib: Who are these people?

Rosmah: Ya la, your office la. Azwan, Tengku has convinced, Amhari also.

Najib: No, no, no I allowed Azwan to make a statement because there was a good impact already.

Rosmah: OK fine, why they allowed Abu Kassim to take a picture with Pak Lah? So please darling

Najib: No, I already signed the letter for Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad (referring to the abrupt appointment of Mr Dzulkifli as the MACC chairman at the time),

Rosmah: I don’t like this. Darling, you are the prime minister, you should take charge not the anybody around you okay? And you got goons around you.

Najib: Ummm, ummm.

Ms Latheefa added that the full recordings will be handed over to the police for further investigations.

Ms Latheefa declined to explain how the MACC obtained the recordings, but said her team of forensics experts verified that they were real.

“We have been given the recordings... pursuant to investigations, we can confirm their absolute authenticity.

“The contents are shocking; it’s a cover-up and subversion of justice... In the public interest, we’re making public the contents,” she said of the nine audio clips with a total duration of 45 minutes. MALAY MAIL