Malaysia pledges to help Swiss probe as pressure on PM grows

Malaysia's attorney general promised today to cooperate with a Swiss call for help in probing alleged massive corruption that has placed Prime Minister Najib Razak under severe pressure.
Swiss prosecutors yesterday had issued a statement saying they believe around USD 4 billion was stolen from Malaysian state-owned companies, including a firm with close links to Najib, and called for Malaysian assistance in their probe.
The appeal came just days after Najib's attorney general, Mohamed Apandi Ali, sparked outrage and allegations of a cover-up by declaring Najib committed no wrongdoing in accepting a mysterious USD 681 million payment to his personal bank accounts in 2013.

"My office intends to take all possible steps to follow up and collaborate with our Swiss counterparts," Apandi said in a statement quoted by Malaysian media.
Malaysia has been rocked for more than a year by allegations that perhaps billions of dollars had gone missing from complex overseas transactions involving the Najib-linked company, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
The scandal hit another gear last July when the USD 681 million payment to Najib, now 62, was revealed.

The revelation fuelled suspicions that the money came from 1MDB, an investment company that has launched a fire sale of assets to pay off billions of dollars in debt.

Najib and 1MDB have denied wrongdoing, but both face accusations from the opposition and other critics of hiding facts.
Since last year, Najib's government has responded to the snowballing scandal by detaining whistle-blowers, shutting down media outlets and websites that reported on the affair, and warning that those who expose anything further could face prosecution.
He also purged critics in his top ruling circle and fired his attorney general, who had been investigating the money paid to Najib, replacing him with Apandi.
Apandi said last week the money was a harmless "personal donation" from the Saudi royal family, prompting derision in Malaysia.

In September, Swiss authorities announced they had frozen "tens of millions of dollars" in suspicious assets in Swiss accounts held by current and former officials from Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates.
"To date, however, the Malaysian companies concerned have made no comment on the losses they are believed to have incurred," the prosecutors' statement said yesterday.