Police investigate Najib's report against IRB under document forgery law

Commercial Crime Department director Kamarudin Md Din said the police are investigating the case under Section 468 of the Penal Code, which is a law that deals with forgery of documents for the purpose of cheating.

This comes after Najib lodged a report two weeks ago, alleging that a certain IRB official had received instruction from a politician to fine him, despite investigations supposedly found no tax violation on Najib's side.

''We can confirm that we have opened an investigation into a report lodged by Najib against the IRB. The investigation is being carried out under Section 468 of the Penal Code.

''All related parties would be called to give their statement soon,'' Kamarudin said.

He also urged the public not to make any speculation that can jeopardise their probe.

Under the Penal Code, Section 468 states that ''whoever commits forgery, intending that the document forge shall be used for the purpose of cheating, shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine''.

In a Facebook post on Sept 8, Najib claimed to have received credible information that IRB officers and politicians had abused their authority and used false documents to persecute him.

He also attached a copy of his police report on the matter.

''There were some who met me and apologised, as well as informed me that the RM1.7 billion (sic) additional tax case had been investigated three times since 2018.

''In fact, they admitted that after three thorough probes, they did not find any wrongdoing by me, and no tax penalties should be levied against me.

''However, after the three probes were completed and the outcome clearly showed I did no wrongdoing under the law, a senior IRB officer ordered for tax penalties to be levied against me because it was ordered by certain politicians,'' Najib said in the Facebook post.

The Pekan MP was referring to a suit that was filed by IRB against him in June 2019.

The agency had sought over RM1.69 billion from Najib, with an annual five percent interest rate beginning from the date of judgment, as well as costs and other relief deemed fit by the court.

He reportedly did not declare about RM4 billion during the period, including the RM2.6 billion which US investigators claim originated from 1MDB.

The former prime minister argued that he was taxed for income despite returning most of the RM2.6 billion four months after receiving it.

Najib had claimed that the amount was a donation from the Saudi government.

This has been debunked by US investigators. The ''donation'' was instead part of the Tanore phase of the 1MDB money laundering case.

The funds - US1 million - had been siphoned by Najib's alleged associate Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low, from 1MDB, and then channelled to the former prime minister.

Najib then returned US0 million to accounts controlled by Low. Part of the returned funds was allegedly used by Low to purchase a pink diamond necklace worth US.3 million for Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor.

Najib is currently appealing to reassess the RM1.69 billion tax suit, after the High Court in Kuala Lumpur last year made a summary judgment ordering him to pay the amount.