Investigators have recommended Najib be charged: Report
Anti-corruption officers say case 'as strong' as the one in 2015
KUALA LUMPUR Investigators have recommended that former prime minister Najib Razak be charged with money laundering and misappropriation of property, a Malaysian newspaper has reported.
This was in the investigation paper they have submitted to the Attorney-General's Chambers. The New Sunday Times, quoting "highly placed sources", said the recommendation was made as investigators from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission "have enough evidence" to "ensure the cases stick".
The sources said the case against Mr Najib was "as strong" as it was when the commission's investigators concluded and submitted the report to the chambers in 2015, which was controversially rejected.
The sources said the recommendation to charge did not include Mr Najib's wife, Madam Rosmah Mansor.
"It is up to the Attorney-General now to decide whether to accept the recommendations to charge, tweak the charges or return the papers for further investigations," one source said.
Mr Najib said this week that if he was charged on "political grounds", he was confident the courts would find him innocent.
1MDB
Malaysia's state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) is the subject of money-laundering probes globally. The US Department of Justice has alleged more than US$4.5 billion (S$6 billion) was misappropriated from 1MDB, about US$700 million of which allegedly ended up in Mr Najib's bank accounts.
Police last week raided a house linked to Mr Najib in Putrajaya, the latest premises to be searched in connection with their investigation into 1MDB, Reuters reported.
The authorities had seized hundreds of luxury handbags and dozens of other bags filled with jewellery and cash in searches of premises linked to Mr Najib.
Separately, Home Affairs Minister Muhyiddin Yassin yesterday said police would take the steps to arrest Mr Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low, who is also linked to the 1MDB scandal.
He has said he was only an unofficial adviser to the fund, and denied any wrongdoing.
Mr Muhyiddin said he was confident the Royal Malaysian Police would take the necessary action to arrest the elusive businessman, the New Straits Times reported last week.
He said the Home Ministry has instructed the police to undertake the necessary action to arrest the businessman.
Last week, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad rejected an offer by Mr Low to drop his claim to assets frozen by US authorities in return for immunity from prosecution over the 1MDB scandal, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources.
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