Former PM barred from leaving Malaysia, cops raid apartments
KUALALUMPUR: Police on Saturday raided a deluxe Kuala Lumpur apartment block at which relatives of ousted prime minister Najib Razak had been staying as they searched for sensitive documents the new government fears may be taken out of the country, two senior police officers said.
The swoop came as Malaysia’s new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said he had stopped his predecessor from leaving the country because of suspected wrongdoing in connection with a multi-billion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB.
Police said they were acting after a complaint that a government vehicle had delivered dozens of boxes made to carry designer handbags and other items to the apartment for Najib’s wife, Rosmah Mansor.
Public disgust over alleged corruption was widely seen as one of the reasons behind the unexpected defeat of Najib’s longruling Barisan Nasional coalition in Wednesday’s general election.
Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
A spokesman for Najib could not be immediately reached for comment. Reuters was unable to reach Najib himself, his wife, or other family members and close associates on Saturday night.
Reuters saw about 20 police officers enter the marble-floored lobby of the Pavilion Residences apartment block in the Malaysian capital, just as Mahathir was holding a news conference to announce key members of his cabinet.
They were aided by at least a dozen other plainclothes law-enforcement officers. Security personnel from the building - which is owned by Desmond Lim, a wealthy Malaysian businessman and supporter of Najib - were cooperative.
“We are looking for government documents that may have been illegally taken,” said a senior police officer, who requested anonymity.