> Najib offered bribe to engineer defections

An opposition politician today said he is prepared to go to court to prove his allegation that Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak had offered him RM50 million to engineer at least two defections in Perak.

PKR Ipoh Barat division chief Fauzi Muda said since the police and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) are serious about investigating his statutory declaration, they should either charge him or Najib. 

"I challenge them to charge me. I am prepared to go to court to reveal all the evidence that I have including a recording of my conversation with Najib. I challenge the police to charge me as I know the police and MACC will not charge Najib 

"If they charge me, it will be the best way for me to face Najib in court and reveal all the evidence that I have," he told reporters this morning after filing a MACC report in Ipoh. 

Fauzi is seeking the MACC's help to stop the police from 'intimidating and harassing' him over his statutory declaration.

Why are the cops involved?

The PKR leader also expressed surprise over the police's involvement in the matter, accusing them of acting beyond their duty since there was no report lodged by Najib or his representatives against him.

"In fact, the police have been instructed to act on my statutory declaration. I was instructed to come to the Ipoh police station on Feb 10. Following that, the police contacted me many times for me to come and they took further statements.

"On Monday (March 2), I was asked to report to the serious crimes unit in Ipoh where they took more statements. What is the motive for the police in this case as I made the report to the MACC?" he asked.

On Feb 2, Fauzi made a statutory declaration that Najib had offered RM50 million to him - when he met the deputy premier at his official residence on March 11, 2008 - to arrange the defections before Pakatan Rakyat menteri besar Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin came to power.

                                   

Fauzi said the recent defections of Pakatan Rakyat state reps, leading to the change in state government, was strong proof in relation to his allegation against Najib.

Following his declaration, a report was lodged with the (MACC) by PKR Youth chief Shamsul Iskandar Mohd Akin on Feb 4.

On the same day, Fauzi said, the three Pakatan Rakyat assemblypersons (two from PKR, and one from DAP) had declared their defection before Najib and to support BN. 

        

In his statutory declaration, Fauzi also claimed that former deputy defence minister Zainal Abidin Zin brought him to Najib's official residence where he was offered the money.

Zainal Abidin later admitted taking Fauzi to meet Najib but denied that any monetary offers were made - Malaysiakini.