Anwar claims Aust govt backed Najib

Former Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, now making his political comeback after being freed from prison, has accused the Australian government of being ‘‘complicit’’ in the corruption of his country’s recently ousted leader Najib Razak.

The reformist Anwar has been granted a royal pardon for politicallymotivated sodomy charges after his unlikely alliance with former nemesis Mahathir Mohamad helped defeat Najib in Malaysia’s elections last month.

Najib is accused of plundering billions of dollars from Malaysia’s 1MDB state investment fund.

Anwar, the presumptive successor to Mahathir, now the Malaysian Prime Minister, said Australia’s foreign policy over Najib’s time in power ‘‘clearly has been tainted, has been perceived by many Malaysians as complicit to the . . . crimes of corruption and also criminal actions’’.

He told ABC radio the government’s statements had always been ‘‘extremely supportive’’ of Najib and had praised Malaysia’s progress under the former leader.

‘‘Such statements are deemed to be silly and completely dishonest because people . . . understand the implications,’’ Anwar said.

Najib, whose loss was partly attributed to outrage at the 1MDB scandal, is facing intense pressure over the allegations, is banned from leaving the country, and may soon face criminal charges.

In a statement yesterday, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Australia looked forward to a ‘‘close and productive’’ relationship with the new Malaysian government.

– Fairfax