Police will record the statements of those who were heard in the audio recordings of telephone conversations on the 1MDB scandal.
Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador (above) said this would be done after the individuals are identified.
According to him, their identities are expected to be known within this week or next week at the latest.
“Once the owners of the voices in the audio recordings are identified, they will be called to have their statements recorded,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.
Hamid was speaking to reporters after the investiture of the Pingat Jasa Pahlawan Negara award to over 400 police personnel and retirees of the Northern Brigade of the General Operations Force in Ipoh this afternoon.
On Jan 8, MACC chief commissioner Latheefa Koya had revealed the audio recordings, which she claimed was received from anonymous sources.
She said the recordings, which tests revealed were authentic, involved former premier Najib Abdul Razak's telephone conversations with several others in 2016.
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Besides Najib, others implicated in the recordings were Najib’s wife Rosmah Mansor, former MACC chief Dzulkifli Ahmad (who was then with the Attorney-General's Chambers) and several others, including two foreign individuals.
The former premier has not denied the authenticity of the recordings and initiated contempt proceedings against MACC and Latheefa for releasing the nine recordings.
Najib is currently on trial over a deluge of charges related to 1MDB and SRC International Sdn Bhd.
In another development, Hamid said the police are still investigating the allegation of a criminal plot to tarnish the image of MACC and its chief commissioner.
On Jan 14, MACC lodged a police report against several individuals, including a lawyer, for allegedly masterminding the criminal plot to smear the reputation of Latheefa and the commission.
According to Latheefa, the police report was lodged to send a clear message to those behind the plot that she would not be threatened or intimidated from carrying out her duty as the chief commissioner of the MACC.