KUALA LUMPUR • Former Malaysian premier Najib Razak yesterday posted documents on his Facebook page which he says prove the Saudi royal family donated US$100 million (S$138 million) to him in 2011.
The documents included a letter from Saudi Prince Abdul Aziz Al-Saud and documents showing several bank transfers via Swift, the messaging system used by financial institutions.
The letter, dated Feb 1, 2011, was addressed to Najib at his private residence in Taman Duta, Kuala Lumpur, and appeared to explain why Najib was given US$100 million by the royal.
"In view of the friendship that we have developed over the years and your new ideas as a modern Islamic leader, I hereby grant you a sum of United States Dollars One Hundred Million (USD100,000,000) Only ("Gift")... ," the letter read.
"You shall have absolute discretion to determine how the Gift shall be utilised and I am confident that your actions will continue to promote Islam so it continues to flourish.
"This letter is issued as a gesture of good faith and for clarification, I do not expect to receive any personal benefit whether directly or indirectly as a result of the Gift. The Gift should not in any event be construed as an act of corruption since this is against the practice of Islam and I personally do not encourage such practices in any manner whatsoever."
According to The Malay Mail, the documents detailed several transfers to Najib's personal account - a US$10 million deposit on Feb 23, 2011, another US$10 million on June 13, 2011, a sum of US$49,999,988 on Aug 18, 2011, and an additional US$29,999,988 on Nov 25 the same year.
The news site reported that according to the documents, the transfers had come from Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Finance and from one Prince Faisal Turkey Al-Saud.
Najib had previously said he received donations from the Saudi royals after RM2.6 billion, allegedly misappropriated from state fund 1MDB, was found in his personal accounts.
In his post yesterday, he said he was revealing the documents now "to vindicate myself from the accusations and slander".
He said he used most of the funds for the political purposes of his Barisan Nasional coalition.
