[KUALA LUMPUR] Malaysia's scandal-hit former prime minister Najib Razak and his wife Rosmah Mansor were on Saturday banned from leaving the country, the immigration chief said, after the Barisan Nasional coalition's shock election loss.

"The immigration department has just now blacklisted Najib and Rosmah from leaving the country," Mustafar Ali, director-general of the immigration department, told AFP.

"I have been informed that the Immigration Department of Malaysia does not allow me and my family to go abroad. I respect the direction and will be with the family in the country," the English translation of Najib's tweet reads.

The travel ban came as speculation mounted that Najib and Rosmah, a hugely unpopular figure due to her reported love of luxury shopping trips, were about to board a flight to fly to Indonesia.

Najib had earlier tweeted he was going to take a "short break". An angry crowd had descended on Subang Airport near Kuala Lumpur where the couple had been expected to leave from, in a bid to stop them from departing.

After his defeat, speculation mounted the pair might flee the country as former strongman premier Mahathir Mohamad, who beat him in the elections, has pledged to probe a massive scandal in which Najib is implicated concerning the theft of billions of dollars of state funds.

AFP