KUALA LUMPUR: The allegation that the government has yet to pay “a single sen” of 1MDB’s principal debt is baseless, considering the principal debt will only mature between 2022 and 2039.
Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said 1MDB’s outstanding debt comprising the principal and interest amounted to RM38.8 billion.
Of this amount, he said 1MDB’s principal debt, stood at RM32.3 billion, while another RM6.5 billion was interest payments.
“Therefore, (former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s) claim that the government ‘has never paid a single sen of 1MDB’s principal debt’ is baseless considering the principal debt will only mature later.
“For example, 1MDB’s principal debt comprises of the 1MDB Enegry Ltd bond issue (bon terbitan) amounting to RM7.35 billion, 1MDB Energy (Langat) Ltd bond issue of RM7.35 billion, 1MDB Global Investment Ltd of RM12.6 billion and sukuk 1MDB IMTN (Islamic Medium Term Note) amounting to RM5 billion.
“So, the (principal debt of) RM32.3 billion has a maturity date between 2022 and 2039, hence it has not been paid. But the government has started servicing the interest amount,” Tengku Zafrul said in response to a question by Bagan Member of Parliament Lim Guan Eng in the Dewan Rakyat today.
Najib had on Wednesday in the Dewan Rakyat claimed that the government has never paid a single cent of 1MDB’s principal debt.
Najib had said in 2018, 1MDB’s debt stood at RM32 billion, in 2019 it was at RM32 billion and in 2020 and 2021, it still stood at RM32 billion.
On Jan 14, Tengku Zafrul had said the government has repaid RM13.3 billion of 1MDB’s debt so far.
Source: New Straits Times
