Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been arrested in Kuala Lumpur, state media reported, as part of probe into alleged theft and money-laundering at the 1MDB state investment fund.
Najib’s family lawyer told Channel News Asia on Tuesday that the ex-leader would be charged for his role in the 1MDB scandal the next day.
Earlier on Tuesday, Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency questioned Riza Aziz, the stepson of Najib and a Hollywood film producer.
Alleged corruption at the 1MDB fund helped bring on the unexpected defeat of Najib’s coalition in the May 9 polls. The new government reopened investigations that were stifled while Najib was in office.
Riza was solemn as he arrived at the anti-graft office and didn’t speak to reporters.
US investigators say Riza’s company, Red Granite Pictures Inc, used money stolen from 1MDB to finance Hollywood films including the Martin Scorsese-directed The Wolf of Wall Street.
Red Granite agreed in March to pay the US government $60m to settle claims it benefited from the 1MDB scandal.
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Source: Aljazeera
