PUTRAJAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Razak today denied that he orchestrated the disbandment of a special task force probing the 1MDB scandal.
The former prime minister said the allegation that he instructed the task force's disbandment is nothing more than a "simplistic and baseless" sound bite.
"It was crafted to unfairly cast blame on me.
"In fact, there is no evidence to support the claim that such instructions came from me.
"This accusation is a deliberate distortion of the facts and reflects an attempt to sensationalise rather than present the truth," he said before presiding judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah today.
Najib said this when testifying in his corruption trial for misappropriating billions of funds belonging to the 1MDB.
He said former Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz testified that former attorney-general (AG) Tan Sri Mohamed Apandi Ali told the task force's members that it was no longer needed.
Najib said Apandi told the relevant agencies should continue their investigations independently, which they did, unimpeded and unhindered.
"The dissolution of the task force was not a directive from me but an administrative decision communicated at the appropriate institutional level.
"Moreover, the dissolution of the task force had no impact on the investigations into 1MDB.
"BNM had already launched its independent probe, which led to a RM15 million fine imposed on 1MDB in 2016.
"To suggest that I personally orchestrated the purported disbandment of the task force is not only devoid of factual basis but also a deliberate attempt to fabricate a narrative to suit the prosecution's agenda," he added.
Najib faces four charges of abusing his position to receive RM2.3 billion in bribes from 1MDB funds and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same amount.
The trial continues.