Cops seize cash, designer bags
– Malaysian police said yesterday that cash worth 114 million ringgit (R350 million) and over 400 luxury handbags were seized from several apartments as part of an anti-graft probe into a state fund founded by former premier Najib Razak.
Najib’s home, and the apartments of a son and a daughter were among a dozen properties searched since May 18, Amar Singh, the head of commercial crime division, said.
Since his defeat in an election on May 9, Najib has been barred from leaving the country by the new government, which has reopened an investigation into billions of dollars missing from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
At one empty apartment, officers found 35 bags stuffed with cash valued at 114 million ringgit. The banknotes were in 26 currencies.
“We have sat together with bank officials to tally and estimate the total cash seized,” Singh said.
Singh said the empty apartment in Pavillion Residences, in the Bukit Bintang neighbourhood of Kuala Lumpur, did not belong to any of Najib’s family members. He declined to name the owner.
Police also found 284 boxes of handbags in the apartment, and a further 150 handbags were seized from the home of Najib’s daughter, Nooryana Najwa, along with various shoes, including baby shoes.
Singh said most of the bags appeared to be a Hermes brand.
“We have had discussions with Hermes, and we will take pictures and send them to Paris to verify their authenticity and value,” Singh said.
Nooryana, better known as Gina, married a nephew of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev three years ago.
Singh did not say what was found at the home of Najib’s son Ashman.
Experts were being brought in to value the jewelry, watches and other luxury items seized during the raid.
Singh said half a million ringgit, excluding foreign currency, was found at Najib’s home.
Najib concluded giving a statement to anti-graft agents on Thursday, related to transactions of $10.6 million into his bank account that investigators had traced to a former unit of 1MDB.
Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing.