Najib mum over complaint to Saudi over Anwar funding

January 28, 2011

Najib declined to comment, saying it was a Saudi matter. file picPUTRAJAYA, Jan 28 Datuk Seri Najib Razak refused comment today over a CNN report which said he had complained that members of Saudi Arabia's royalty were possibly funding Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahims election war chest.The international broadcaster yesterday reported that a secret Saudi intelligence report found no evidence of any Riyadh official funding Anwar, but found a fundamentalist Muslim organisation had benefited Al Qaeda through its support of politicians in Muslim countries.Several bloggers have linked Anwar to the group, Muslim Brotherhood, but the opposition leader said today the issue showed Najib feared Pakatan Rakyats (PR) political relevance.This is a Saudi investigation, Najib told reporters today.I dont wish to comment, added the prime minister.Earlier today, Anwar said he would not be surprised if Najib had complained as reported, claiming the latter was becoming anxious over the federal oppositions widely-publicised reform plans spelt out in its Buku Jingga launched last month which contained instant reform measures to be implemented by PR within the first 100 days of taking over Putrajaya.CNN reported yesterday that the investigation found that hundreds of millions of dollars of Saudi money had been funnelled to leading Islamist politicians and political activists overseas. It also found that al Qaeda and the Taliban were still able to use Saudi Arabia for fund-raising, despite numerous measures to choke off those sources of cash.CNN said the nine-page summary of the secret report states that the Muslim Brotherhood, an Islamist political group present in many Muslim countries, was trying through its many affiliated charities and organisations often with the funding of unwitting private Saudi citizens to spread its influence by providing support for candidates in Islamic democracies.Once in ! power th ese candidates are expected to further the Brotherhoods goals. Al Qaeda was able to benefit from these secret funding mechanisms, according to the source, because some in the Muslim Brotherhood had historic sympathies and connections with members of the terror group dating back to when Saudi Arabia and the CIA covertly funded the Afghan mujahideen to fight the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, CNN reported.In recent months, right-wing websites in the United States unhappy with Anwars close ties with Washington have accused the PKR de facto leader of being linked with terror organisations through his association with the Muslim Brotherhood.Considered fundamentalist and radical by its critics the Muslim Brotherhood has a large global following among Muslims.The Muslim Brotherhood is described as an international Islamist movement and the largest political organisation in many Arab countries. It is the worlds oldest and largest Islamic political group. Whether it has ties with terrorism is a matter of dispute.The Muslim Brotherhood has also been accused by Cairo of being behind planned street demonstrations today against President Hosni Mubarak.