Malaysia again questions former PM Najib and wife Rosmah in 1MDB probe

[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysian authorities once again called in former Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, for questioning on Wednesday in an investigation into alleged graft linked to state fund 1MDB.

Mr Najib, whose coalition suffered a stunning election defeat in May, faces 32 charges ranging from money laundering to abuse of power and criminal breach of trust in the effort to uncover how billions of dollars went missing from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

Mr Najib, 64, arrived at the anti-money laundering and anti-terror financing division of the police to give a statement in connection with a money laundering probe, media said.

Ms Rosmah was summoned separately for questioning by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in the administrative capital of Putrajaya, her second visit in as many weeks.

The couple did not speak to reporters as they arrived for questioning. Reuters could not immediately reach a spokesman to seek comment.

Last Wednesday, anti-graft investigators spent nearly 13 hours recording Ms Rosmah's statement as part of their inquiry into 1MDB.

The couple's world has been turned upside down since Mr Najib lost the May election to his one-time mentor Mahathir Mohamad, who swiftly reopened a probe into 1MDB.

Corruption accusations have dogged Mr Najib for years, and came to a head in 2015, when the Wall Street Journal reported that nearly US$700 million in 1MDB funds was diverted to his personal bank account.

Ms Rosmah, 66, has long been in the public eye over her penchant for handbags, jewellery and shopping sprees.

REUTERS