KUALA LUMPUR • Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar has dismissed rumours that central bank governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz is being investigated in connection with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) saga, clearing the air amid speculation about her in the past few days.
His comments yesterday came as Bank Negara denied rumours that Tan Sri Zeti had resigned and that she had suffered a heart attack.
Inspector-General of Police Khalid, when asked whether she was being investigated as alleged in several Internet blogs, replied: "Not by us."
Speaking to reporters after an event, Tan Sri Khalid added: "Who says police are investigating? To my knowledge, there is no investigation."
The widely respected central banker is one of the four heads of a special task force tasked with probing the 1MDB scandal.
The so-called "task force of the four Tan Sris" consists of Dr Zeti, Mr Khalid, the Attorney-General, and head of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Kassim Mohamad. The new Attorney-General is Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali, who replaced Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail on Tuesday.
The rumours about Dr Zeti reflected the deep angst faced by the government as the case has taken many twists and turns, including speculation that members of the task force had been leaking information about the 1MDB probe to the media.
Bank Negara on July 12 denied allegations that its staff were involved in the leaks. Yesterday, it dismissed rumours circulating in local media and financial markets that Dr Zeti had resigned.
"This is not true," said a central bank spokesman.
When contacted by The Star, a spokesman also denied that Dr Zeti had suffered a heart attack.
"She is fine and came to work as usual," the spokesman added.
Dr Zeti, 67, has helmed the central bank since 2000, and served under former premiers Mahathir Mohamad and Abdullah Badawi.
A PhD holder in monetary and international economics from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, Dr Zeti was credited by financial experts worldwide for managing Malaysia's economy during two financial crises in 1998 and 2008.
THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK, REUTERS
