Najib Razak ... The former Malaysian attorney-general reportedly put in place a plan to lay criminal charges of misappropriation against Prime Minister Najib Razak. Picture: AP.
MALAYSIA’S former attorney-general planned to file charges against Prime Minister Najib Razak over the millions of dollars found in the premier’s bank accounts, reports the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Abdul Gani Patail told several senior officials on July 23, 2015 of his plan to confront Najib in a cabinet meeting scheduled for July 29, but he was replaced before he could do so, ABC reported. Two journalists from ABC’s documentary program Four Corners were deported by Malaysian authorities earlier this month while trying to ask Najib about the scandal that triggered calls for his resignation.
The episode on Najib showed records of deposits to the premier’s bank accounts between 2011 and 2014 coming from unknown individuals and companies.
Political crisis ... Supporters of pro-democracy group "Bersih" (Clean) have previously demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak. Picture: Supplied.Source:Reuters
Najib has been under pressure to resign since July, when the Wall Street Journal newspaper suggested that more than 2.6 billion ringgit ($896 million) in his bank accounts came from the state-funded 1 Malaysia development fund.
The prime minister has denied wrongdoing, saying the funds were campaign donations from Saudi Arabia that have since been returned. On Wednesday, former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad filed a lawsuit against Najib for breach of public duties linked to the scandal.
A small group of between 200 to 300 activists, headed by Mahathir and opposition stalwart Lim Kit Siang, gathered in a convention centre in Kuala Lumpur this weekend to press for the resignation of Najib.
Mahathir promised to seek the help of Malay rulers to pressure Najib to leave his post.
