Malaysia Pm Mulls Lawsuit Over 'Malicious' Graft Claim

Malaysia's premier has referred allegations that he pocketed $700 million in public funds to his lawyers, announcing late Sunday that he is considering taking legal action against two publications.



"Insha Allah [God willing], I will make a decision in the next few days on the follow-up action that I will take concerning this most malicious allegation," Najib Razak told reporters in capital Kuala Lumpur.



"I am referring to the malicious accusation that I had purportedly misappropriated [funds] into my personal account."



The Wall Street Journal and whistle blower site Sarawak Report released reports Friday "ing documents they alleged were from an ongoing 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) probe that claimed that the $700 million moved among 1MDB-linked government agencies, banks and entities, before ending up in Razak's personal accounts in five separate deposits.



Malaysia's attorney-general, Gani Patail, announced late Saturday that a special task force had been assigned to investigate the documents that allegedly implicate Razak of receiving bank transfers from the debt-ridden 1MDB.



While confirming that he had seen the alleged documents, Patail said the task force has conducted several raids at 1MDB and its former subsidiary, Finance Ministry-owned SRC International, to secure some crucial documents.



The premier has insisted that he has not taken funds for personal gain as alleged by political opponents, whether it is from 1MDB, SRC International or other entities. He has also blamed Mahathir Mohamad -- Malaysia's longest serving prime minister who was in office for 29 years -- of orchestrating the allegations as "part of a concerted campaign of political sabotage to topple a democratically elected prime minister".



Members of Razak's cabinet had earlier put pressure on him to challenge the publications.



Defense Minister Hishamuddin Hussien had earlier expressed shock at the revelation, but insisted that Razak should not be punished based on unsubstantiated claims.



"We must allow the task force to do their duty and then we can conclude on who is right or wrong," Hussien, also vice president of the Razak-led UMNO political party, said in a statement.



"The parties which made the revelation must also prove the credibility of their claims because what and who have been accused in this case is not a small matter," he stressed.



Meanwhile, opposition parties have invited members of the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition and non-governmental organizations "disgusted with corruption" to join them for an emergency meeting in parliament Tuesday.



Democratic Action Party leader Lim Kit Siang said in a statement that the meeting would "consider the impact, implications and Malaysia's future as a result of the WSJ allegation and the Attorney-General's confirmation on the existence of document from a government special task force probe."



People's Justice Party (PKR) leader Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, who called the meeting on Lim's behalf, said Malaysians were worried about the allegations.



"While we wait for a full report on the case, we should also prepare to face any eventuality," she said in a separate statement. - Kuala Lumpur