PUTRAJAYA: The probe into the controversial audio recordings exposed by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) last month is expected to be wrapped up within two weeks.
MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya said the findings would be handed to the Attorney-General’s Chambers.
She said their graft investigation was classified under abuse of power and was running simultaneously with a police probe.
“We will check with the police as to what stage their probe is at. I think they are waiting for statements from key witnesses,” she said on the sidelines of the Apec 2020 Symposium on Gender Mainstreaming and Women Empowerment to Fight Corruption here.
On whether former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and former MACC chief commissioner Tan Sri Dzulkifli Ahmad would be called, Latheefa said MACC investigators had identified the witnesses.
“I can’t comment on who we will call. I’ll leave it to my investigators. I think you can figure out who we are going to call.
“It’s best not to comment too much because the case is ongoing and we don’t want to disrupt the investigation.”
On Jan 8, MACC released several audio recordings of conversations that allegedly included, among others, the leak of information from the Attorney-General’s Chambers to Najib during his tenure as prime minister.
There were also conversations concerning investigations into 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) and SRC International Sdn Bhd.
On the AirAsia and AirAsia X graft allegations, Latheefa said MACC was waiting for documents from Britain’s Serious Fraud Office (SFO) before making any decision to probe into the airlines.
She said only after getting the information a decision could be made on the need to call AirAsia Group Bhd chief executive officer Tan Sri Tony Fernandes and its executive chairman, Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, for questioning.
“We are still waiting for more details because the documents that have been published on the (SFO) website concerns mainly Airbus.”
Latheefa declined to comment on the documents that the commission was expecting and gave her assurance that the media would be updated accordingly.
“When it comes to Mutual Letters of Agreement, it (the document) could take time as the authorities could be handling multiple, dozens or even hundreds of requests. So they would have their own priorities.”
On Feb 3, Fernandes and Kamarudin relinquished their executive positions within the company for two months, effective immediately, in the wake of the Airbus bribery allegation probe.
The AirAsia Group had been dragged into the case following allegations by the UK’s SFO that Airbus had paid US$50 million to win plane orders from AirAsia.
The SFO document also claimed that Airbus had offered another US$55 million to sponsor a sports team linked to two executives from the airlines.
The document claimed that AirAsia and AirAsia X ordered 406 aircraft from Airbus between October 2005 and November 2014.
This included 180 aircraft secured during the indictment period by way of improper payment made by Airbus and the offer of a further improper payment.
The allegations were revealed on Friday as part of a record US$4 billion settlement Airbus agreed with France, Britain and the United States. - Additional reporting by Amir Abd Hamid