Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak leaves after giving a statement to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission in Putrajaya May 22, 2018. — Reuters pic

KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 — Datuk Seri Najib Razak claimed today that Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad has admitted that there is not enough proof to link and charge him to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.

Najib was referring to Dr Mahathir’s remarks yesterday that it would not be easy to charge the former in court without solid evidence.

“By saying so, Tun Mahathir has admitted that PH had made all the accusations against me without concrete proof,” he wrote in a Facebook post today.

Najib also claimed that Dr Mahathir’s remarks proved that there was a conspiracy a few years ago to remove him as prime minister.

“This also proves the charge sheet that was purportedly already prepared to prosecute me in 2015 is untrue and part of a conspiracy to use certain individuals in the government administration to topple me,” he added.

“At that time, my statement was never taken by MACC; therefore, how could there be a charge sheet?”

“Until now, they only want to justify their accusations by searching for ‘proof’, whether it is real, imagined or fictitious,” Najib claimed today.

It is unclear to which charge sheet Najib was referring, but the former Attorney General Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail’s abrupt removal from office in July 2015 about two months before his mandatory retirement age over “health” reasons had raised eyebrows.

Dr Mahathir had last month claimed that Abdul Gani said he was removed after he had prepared to charge Najib.

In his Facebook post today, Najib then went on to reiterate his past denial of wrongdoing in relation to 1MDB.

“I wish to repeat that I have not received benefits or stolen money from 1MDB or anyone else. If I am prosecuted for political reasons, I am confident that the court will prove me innocent,” he said.

In the same Facebook post, Najib also said his children do not own public-listed companies or luxury “supercars”, saying that they have not been awarded any government contracts or have any business dealings with the government.

Yesterday, Dr Mahathir said that Najib has not been arrested yet, as investigators still need to collect evidence that can stand up in court to build a strong case against the former prime minister.

Dr Mahathir was also reported as saying yesterday that the federal government will not be using “stolen money” to pay for Malaysian Muslims’ pilgrimages.

Najib today responded by expressing his sadness that low-income Muslims in Malaysia would allegedly no longer receive government aid to fulfil their religious obligations of going on Haj pilgrimages, saying that it was wrong for Dr Mahathir to claim that the funds used by 1MDB to pay for thousands of Malaysian Muslim pilgrims’ trips came from the proceeds of theft.

“How can it be that 1MDB steals 1MDB’s own funds to enable this company to pay for the Haj pilgrims?” Najib asked.

Najib then went on to assure the Muslim pilgrims that received financial assistance from 1MDB for their pilgrimage trips that they do “not need to worry”, asserting that the funds came from “halal sources as I will be bearing a huge sin if it is otherwise”.

In recent weeks, Najib’s properties have been raided by the police as part of 1MDB investigations and he provided statements to the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) that is probing former 1MDB subsidiary SRC International.