PUTRAJAYA: There was no proof to support Datuk Seri Najib Razak's claim that the RM2.6 billion deposited into his personal account in 2014 was a donation from a Saudi prince.
Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) chief commissioner Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdull said this was based on the findings of a team of investigators sent to Saudi Arabia to meet the prince in 2015.
"In an investigation, our procedure is to find a witness. Based on a letter that said the money was a donation from a prince, our officers went there," Shukri told a press conference at the MACC headquarters, here, today.
Shukri explained that while the prince in question admitted to donating the money, he could not provide relevant documents to support his claim.
"Standard operating procedure for transferring of funds, there must be documentation and proof. But this prince failed to provide proof," he said.
In August 2015, the MACC in a statement said that the RM2.6 billion deposited into former Prime Minister Najib's personal account was confirmed to be a donation.
The statement said MACC had received an explanation from the donor and found the details of the donor via documents obtained from the bank.
The commission found that there were four letters handed to the bank when a large amount of money was transferred into Najib's account.
"In the document, it is explained that the RM2.6 billion was a donation," read the statement dated Aug 5, 2015.
Meanwhile, in 2016, Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir clarified that the donation was genuine with 'nothing expected in return'.