PUTRAJAYA: The Attorney-General’s Chambers sees no need to review its decision to close down Bank Negara Malaysia’s (BNM) probe on 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).
Attorney-General Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali said this was because no new evidence has been made available.
Apandi said the alleged offence investigated by Bank Negara was in relation to Part 1 of the Fifth Schedule to the Exchange Control Act 1953, which deals with knowingly or recklessly making a false statement with regards to applications for remittances.
He said 1MDB had obtained three permissions from BNM to make remittances on three dates between 2009 and 2011.
“It is noted that BNM did not take more than three days to grant permissions for all the dates.
“It is also noted that the relevant forms, namely forms 09A and 06B do not require the applicant to supply the names of beneficiary owners or the bank account numbers of the recipients or how the funds are being channeled," he explained.
Apandi said since there was no requirement for the applicant to disclose the information, the omission on 1MDB officials’ part to disclose it was not an offence under the Act.
"If BNM does not request for certain or specific information, how could 1MDB be faulted seeing that it had filled up the forms as required and responded to queries made?," Apandi said.
Bank Negara had requested via a letter dated October 1 for a review of the decision, citing non-disclosure of certain information.