Najib barred from leaving Malaysia
Malaysia’s new leader Mahathir Mohamad said on Saturday that defeated scandal-tainted Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife have been barred from leaving the country to prevent them from fleeing from possible prosecution over a massive corruption scandal.
A leaked flight manifesto showed that Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, were due to leave on a private jet on Saturday to Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, fueling rumors that he was bolting the country after a shocking electoral defeat earlier in the week that ended his coalition’s 60-year grip on power.
Najib said in a statement on social media that he was planning to take a short vacation to spend time with his family. The immigration department, which initially said there was no travel ban, later issued a statement to say Najib and his wife had been blacklisted from leaving the country.
Mahathir confirmed that he prevented Najib from leaving. He said there was sufficient evidence for an investigation into Najib, in reference to the massive corruption scandal involving the 1MDB state fund that Najib set up and is being investigated in the United States and other countries.
US investigators say Najib’s
KUALA LUMPUR:
associates stole and looted $4.5 billion from the fund, with some $700 million landing in Najib’s bank account and around $30 mn used to buy jewellery for his wife. Najib has denied any wrongdoing. “There are a lot of complaints against him, all of which have to be investigated,” Mahathir told a news conference.
“We have to act quickly because we don’t want to be saddled with extradition from other countries.”
Mahathir said the investigations would take some time because investigators need to contact authorities in other countries and gather evidence. He has said Najib will have to face a court if any wrongdoing is found.
Najib responded swiftly, saying he respects the immigration department’s ruling and will remain in the country with his family.
He also said he was committed to “facilitating a smooth transfer of power.”