Malaysian reform group office raided ahead of rally, 2 held

Malaysian police raided the office of electoral reform group Bersih today and detained two officials on the eve of a street rally by the group seeking the resignation of Prime Minister Najib Razak over a financial scandal.
The group, which is supported by many civil groups and opposition parties, has vowed to proceed with tomorrow's rally in Kuala Lumpur despite a police ban and fears of clashes with a pro-government group.
Bersih said on Twitter that its chairwoman Maria Chin and another official, Mandeep Singh, were taken by police. It said police also confiscated 10 laptops, payrolls and bank statements.

"Despite the authorities' desperate measures to stop us, (the rally) will go on. See you on the streets tomorrow!" the group tweeted.
Police officials could not be reached for immediate comment.
Najib has kept an iron grip since graft allegations emerged two years ago in the indebted 1MDB state fund that he founded. 1MDB is at the center of investigations in the U.S. and several other countries.

A rally that Bersih organised in August 2015 also demanding Najib's resignation brought together 50,000 people, according to police estimates. Bersih said the number was much higher.
Najib, who has denied any wrongdoing, has said he won't be cowed by the rallies.

In a statement on his Facebook page and blog, Najib slammed Bersh as "deceitful" and said it has become a tool for opposition parties to unseat a democratically elected government.
A ruling party politician, Jamal Mohamad Yunos, plans to lead a counter rally in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday, prompting fears of a clash between his group, dubbed the "Red Shirts," and Bersih's "Yellow Shirt" supporters.
Police have banned both rallies and the government has warned that police will act against any participants.
The investigations into 1MDB fund are centered on allegations of a global embezzlement and money-laundering scheme. Najib started the fund shortly after taking office in 2009 to promote economic development projects, but the fund accumulated billions in debt over the years.

The US Justice Department said that at least USD 3.5 billion had been stolen from 1MDB by people close to Najib and initiated action in July to seize USD 1.3 billion it said was taken from the fund to buy assets in the U.S.
The US government complaints also said that more than USD 700 million had landed in the accounts of "Malaysian Official 1." They did not name the official, but appear to be referring to Najib.