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Malaysian authorities deny reports on PM taking money from state investment fund

Xinhua, July 3, 2015 Adjust font size:

Malaysian Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said Friday that reports claiming funds from a government investment fund has been transferred to the personal bank accounts of prime minister is "political sabotage."

The Wall Street Journal and the Sarawak Report reported on Friday that nearly 700 million U.S. dollars from the controversial state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Bhd., or 1MDB, has been transferred to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak's personal account.

"Despite the Prime Minister's successful stewardship of Malaysia's economy against global headwinds - as recognized this week by Fitch's upgrade - there have been concerted efforts by certain individuals to undermine confidence in our economy, tarnish the government, and remove a democratically elected Prime Minister," the PMO said in a statement.

It referred the latest claims, attributed to unnamed investigators as a basis to attack the prime minister, as a " continuation of this political sabotage," adding that the criminal leaking of documents, doctoring and extortion have taken place to "mislead the media and public."

"So it is incumbent on responsible members of the media not to accept documents as genuine unless verified by the appropriate authorities," it said.

On the same day, 1MDB also said in a statement that the reports claiming it transferred funds to prime minister is highly irresponsible and a deliberate attempt to undermine the company.

Najib is under mounting pressure and criticism over reports that the 1MDB which he launched after becoming prime minister in 2009 was in massive debt. Mahathir Mohamad, the country's longest serving prime minister and a former mentor of Najib, has openly called for the prime minister to resign. Najib denied any wrongdoings and refused to step down. Endi