Former anti-graft officer files reports against Najib, amid mounting criticisms of previous government

KUALA LUMPUR — A former high-ranking anti-graft official on Monday (May 14) has openly accused former prime minister Najib Razak of wrongdoing, filing two reports with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) alleging that the former premier obstructed investigations and owned properties that cannot be accounted for.

The development came as more present and former Barisan Nasional (BN) leaders in the Najib administration came out to criticise the previous government and BN lynchpin party, the United Malays National Organisation (Umno).

"Based on the information I received, Datuk Seri Najib had used his position to stop the investigations of the Retirement Fund Incorporated (KWAP) and 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB),” former MACC director (intelligence) Abdul Razak Idris said.

"I am making this report so investigations on corruption cases, money laundering and such involving KWAP and 1MDB money can be reopened or continued."

The other report alleged that Mr Najib owns “unexplained properties”.

1MDB is under investigation in six other countries for money-laundering and misappropriation of funds while there have been allegations that KWAP had entered into a land deal with 1MDB.

KWAP’s US$30 million (S$40 million) in Uber in 2015 has also come under the spotlight amid claims that it was in return for the ride-hailing company's donation of “tens of thousands of dollars” to an agency under the Finance Ministry.

1MDB and KWAP have denied any wrongdoing.

When asked by reporters why he lodged the reports only now, Mr Abdul Razak explained that no action would have been taken back then.

He added that it was also a "former boss" of his who urged him to lodge the reports but declined to name this person.

"Some are also worried about me for boldly coming out to lodge a report but it's alright. I'm already 69 years old. If I die, I die for the country," Mr Abdul Razak said.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad has barred Mr Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor from leaving the country while the new administration investigates possible wrongdoing by the previous government.

The former administration came under more criticisms on Monday by persons linked to it, including former BN minister Rais Yatim, who said previous deals signed with China only benefitted Beijing.

“For example, the Forest City and Bandar Malaysia projects are clearly inaccessible to the local people,” he said, referring to two mega real estate developments in Johor and Kuala Lumpur respectively.

“This shows that we have not looked into the importance of domestic economy but have given way to China only,” added Mr Yatim, who held various Cabinet portfolios over almost four decades.

BN suffered a crushing defeat by Pakatan Harapan in last Wednesday’s landmark election, losing power for the first time in six decades.

In an interview with TODAY, former youth and sports minister and Umno’s youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin candidly admitted that the feudal structure of Umno did not allow any room for questioning.

As such, the party was “oblivious to the signs that voters had presented to us, especially over the last couple of years” and suffered a major defeat in the polls.

“We were too drunk on our own Kool-Aid,” said Mr Khairy. “We didn’t act on the hints and they were very, very obvious hints that the public was giving us. And we paid the price for it.”

Having touched about the need for Umno to reform, Mr Khairy said that the 72-year-old party has to “move away from patronage, move away from this feudal structure”. He added: “We need to have a more open and inclusive leadership and membership.”

Umno started out as an “inclusive, tolerant party” and a “party of service”, he noted. But along the way, “that party of service has also become a party of patronage, a party of elitism, a party of arrogance, a party that has been out of touch, a party that prefers form to substance”.

Mr Khairy said: “And that’s the culture we need to get rid of.”

His comments and those of Mr Yatim followed remarks by former international trade and industry minister Rafidah Aziz over the weekend about how the previous government had pressured AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes into pledging support for BN.

In a video released by the airline on Sunday, Mr Fernandes had apologised for releasing a video two days before the May 9 elections that showered praise on Mr Najib and the BN government for supporting the low-cost airline.

Expressing regret over those actions, Mr Fernandes said he came under “intense” pressure leading up to the polls for adding extra flights on election day and his refusal to fire Ms Rafidah Aziz as chairman of the airline’s subsidiary AirAsia X.

Ms Rafidah had been increasingly critical of BN and later threw her support behind Pakatan Harapan and Dr Mahathir.

Supporting Mr Fernandes’ account, Ms Rafidah took to her Facebook on Sunday to say that the AirAsia head was trying to “please and placate” Mr Najib and his “powerful operatives”.

She did not reveal this earlier as “we all had the country’s future to deal with first”.