KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysian authorities said Tuesday they have ordered six bank accounts to be frozen in connection with an investigation into alleged fund transfers to bank accounts of Prime Minister Najib Razak.
A joint statement issued by Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail, central bank governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Inspector-General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar and the chief of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, Abu Kassim Mohamed, also said authorities took documents relating to 17 accounts from two banks to assist the investigation.
The statement said other documents relating to the noncompliance of banking regulations have also been retrieved. It didn’t disclose the identities of the banks or the owners of the accounts that were being investigated.
A person aware of the probe said at least one of the frozen bank accounts belonged to Mr. Najib.
The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Malaysian government investigators looking into troubled state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd.’s activities had traced almost $700 million of deposits into what they believe are Mr. Najib’s personal accounts. The government probe documents what investigators believe to be the movement of cash among government agencies, banks and companies linked to 1MDB before the money ended up in Mr. Najib’s personal accounts, the Journal reported.
Investigation documents reviewed by the Journal didn’t provide the original source of the money or specify what happened to the cash after it allegedly entered Mr. Najib’s accounts.
Another person close to the investigations said the accounts ordered to be frozen were different from those described in the Journal report last week. Authorities acted to freeze the accounts after receiving information from the earlier government probe highlighted in the Journal article, the person said.
Mr. Najib, 61 years old, who has served as Malaysia’s prime minister since 2009, has described the allegations as an attempt by his political opponents to tarnish his name. His office hasn’t commented on the specific allegations that money had entered his bank accounts.
The government investigation marks the first time that Mr. Najib has been directly connected to probes into 1MDB, which owes $11 billion to banks and bondholders.
The allegations have caused an uproar in Malaysia, creating what is arguably the greatest test of Mr. Najib’s political career. On Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin called on authorities to examine the questions surrounding the existence of documents relating to the alleged deposits.
“These allegations are serious because they can affect the credibility and integrity of Mr. Najib as prime minister and the leader of the government,” Mr. Muhyiddin said.
Some opposition leaders have called on Mr. Najib to take a leave of absence as the investigation continues.
Among them is Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, the wife of former opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim who is serving six years in prison after being convicted in a politically charged sodomy trial earlier this year. “The allegations over the prime minister’s credibility are a huge national issue because they involve the people’s trust,” she told other lawmakers and activists at a meeting held outside Malaysia’s parliament building on Tuesday. Police prevented participants from entering a room in the building.
Speaking in Terengganu State in northeast Malaysia on Monday, Mr. Najib was quoted by state news agency Bernama as saying, “I did not betray the people. I will find ways to uphold the truth. Be calm, the truth will prevail.”
Neither Mr. Najib’s office nor 1MDB responded to requests for comment. - WSJ
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