6 bank A/Cs frozen, graft probe against Malaysia PM intensifies

Malaysian authorities on Tuesday froze six bank accounts as they intensified their probe into graft charges against Prime Minister Najib Razak for allegedly transferring nearly $700 million from a government-owned fund to his personal accounts.

The special task force said they have frozen six accounts and have also obtained documents on 17 accounts in two banks to assist with investigations.

“Several documents pertaining to non-compliance of Bank Negara Malaysia’s rules and procedures were also seized,” it said in a statement by Attorney-General Abdul Gani Patail, Bank Negara (Central Bank) Malaysia Governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Inspector-General Police Khalid Abu Bakar and Anti-Corruption Commission chief commissioner Abu Kassim Mohamed.

The account holders’ identities, however, were withheld. 

Last Friday, Wall Street Journal and Sarawak Report published reports alleging that nearly $700 million (RM2.65 billion) of 1 Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) fund was transferred into Najib’s personal account.

The WSJ has stood by its report and today published on its website nine documents detailing how almost $700 million 1 MDB funds allegedly ended up in Najib’s personal bank accounts, Star newspaper reported here.

The international business daily published the “Government Documents From Probe of Najib Razak” on their website saying the documents came from a “Malaysian government investigation”. The documents showed alleged bank transfers from various companies to Najib’s personal accounts on March 2013, December 2014 and February 2015.

1 MDB and Najib have since denied the allegations.

Meanwhile, human rights activist Ambiga Sreenivasan has called for snap polls following allegations linking Najib to the financial scandal involving 1 MDB.

“The prime minister has to go on leave. Opposition leaders should go and see him and ask him to do so. There are ongoing investigations and you will never get an impartial probe if he is still the prime minister,” she was quoted as saying by Malaysian Insider.

“There must be a promise of fresh elections to be called within one year,” she said.

This was echoed by opposition leader and Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) president Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who asked Najib, who is also finance minister, to do the “gentlemanly” thing and go on leave.

“So we are asking him to take the gentlemanly way. Go on leave and allow an independent commission as it involves <g data-gr-id="44" style="display: inline; color: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; -webkit-background-size: 0px 2px, 100% 2px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAA+gAAAACCAYAAADLlPadAAAABmJLR0QA/wD/AP+gvaeTAAAAKklEQVRYhe3OQQEAIAgEsMM6xrMb9SQGny3B6vb7AQAAAFad7QAAAACQDAGHAlfrnYEmAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC), url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAACCAYAAACZgbYnAAAABmJLR0QA/wD/AP+gvaeTAAAAEklEQVQImWNY/ejYfyYGBgYGABiLA1VQQvxSAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); background-size: 0px 2px, 100% 2px; background-position: 200% 100%, 0px 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat, no-repeat;">breach</g> of trust and corruption,” she said. Investigative agencies must keep the public informed of their ongoing investigation into 1 MDB issue, said <g data-gr-id="36" style="display: inline; color: inherit !important; font-size: inherit !important; -webkit-background-size: 0px 2px, 100% 2px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-color: transparent; background-image: url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAA+gAAAACCAYAAADLlPadAAAABmJLR0QA/wD/AP+gvaeTAAAAK0lEQVRYhe3OMQEAIAwDsA6DHPh/ZoTJ2JMoSPW7PwAAAMCqsx0AAAAAkgHerQKHq3BtYQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==), url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAACCAYAAACZgbYnAAAABmJLR0QA/wD/AP+gvaeTAAAAEklEQVQImWP4vGvnfyYGBgYGABl4A2hm/SKhAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC); background-size: 0px 2px, 100% 2px; background-position: 200% 100%, 0px 100%; background-repeat: no-repeat, no-repeat;">Anti corruption</g> NGO Bersih 2.0 chief Maria Chin Abdullah.