KUALA LUMPUR, May (Antaranews Megapolitan/Reuters) - Police on Saturday raided a deluxe Kuala Lumpur apartment block at which relatives of ousted Prime Minister Najib Razak had been staying as they searched for sensitive documents the new government fears may be taken out of the country, two senior police officers said.
The swoop came as Malaysia's new Prime Minister, Mahathir
Mohamad, said he had stopped his predecessor from leaving the
country because of suspected wrongdoing in connection with a
multi-billion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB.
Police said they were acting after a complaint that a
government vehicle had delivered dozens of boxes made to carry
designer handbags and other items to the apartment for Najib's
wife, Rosmah Mansor.
Public disgust over alleged corruption was widely seen as
one of the reasons behind the unexpected defeat of Najib's
long-ruling Barisan Nasional coalition in Wednesday's general
election.
Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
A spokesman for Najib could not be immediately reached for
comment. Reuters was unable to reach Najib himself, his wife, or
other family members and close associates on Saturday night.
Reuters saw about 20 police officers enter the
marble-floored lobby of the Pavilion Residences apartment block
in the Malaysian capital, just as Mahathir was holding a news
conference to announce key members of his cabinet.
They were aided by at least a dozen other plainclothes
law-enforcement officers. Security personnel from the building -
which is owned by Desmond Lim, a wealthy Malaysian businessman
and supporter of Najib - were cooperative.
"We are looking for government documents that may have been
illegally taken," said a senior police officer, who requested
anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media.
"The government are worried they could be sensitive and
important, and could be taken out of the country."
He declined to say whether any documents had been found and
described the operation as "ongoing".
According to the police, members of Najib's family had been
staying at the apartments, but they declined to name them.
ORANGE BOXES
The police action followed a complaint lodged by two leaders
of the youth wing of Mahathir's political party, Bersatu.
The police report of the complaint, reviewed by Reuters,
alleges that vans emblazoned with the logo of the department of
the prime minister and cabinet delivered boxes for 50 Birkin
handbags to Pavilion Residences on Thursday evening.
The report alleged that the boxes showed the name of the
consignee as Rosmah Mansor.
Two photos provided with the report and reviewed by Reuters
showed a van with the department's logo and a shopping trolley
filled with orange boxes. The location, the date and the
contents of the boxes - including whether there were any of the
handbags inside - could not be ascertained from the photos.
The Birkin handbags concerned would cost $200,000 each, the
complaint said.
The senior police officer only confirmed "family members" of
Najib had stayed in the apartment complex when Reuters asked if
Rosmah had stayed there.
Another officer involved in the operation described the
persons of interest as "VVIPs", or very, very important persons.
Both police officers said investigators were not primarily
interested in the luxury items but were chasing documents that
could be vital for investigations into Najib's administration.
ANNOUNCED OVERSEAS TRIP
Kuala Lumpur's police chief and an official police
spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.
Najib said earlier on Saturday that he was going abroad for
a week to rest, but just minutes later the Department of
Immigration announced that he and his wife had been barred from
leaving the country.
Mahathir, who was sworn in as prime minister on Thursday,
has vowed to probe the loss of billions of dollars from state
fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which was founded by
Najib.
U.S. Department of Justice documents allege that $681
million from 1MDB was transferred to the personal account of a
person identified as Malaysian Official One, which U.S. and
Malaysian sources have confirmed was Najib.
Najib has said the deposit was a donation by an unnamed
member of the Saudi royal family which had been largely
returned.
(Reporting by Tom Allard Editing by John Chalmers and Martin Howell).
Edited By: T. Mutiasari/B. Soekapdjo.
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Megapolitan 2018
The swoop came as Malaysia's new Prime Minister, Mahathir
Mohamad, said he had stopped his predecessor from leaving the
country because of suspected wrongdoing in connection with a
multi-billion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB.
Police said they were acting after a complaint that a
government vehicle had delivered dozens of boxes made to carry
designer handbags and other items to the apartment for Najib's
wife, Rosmah Mansor.
Public disgust over alleged corruption was widely seen as
one of the reasons behind the unexpected defeat of Najib's
long-ruling Barisan Nasional coalition in Wednesday's general
election.
Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
A spokesman for Najib could not be immediately reached for
comment. Reuters was unable to reach Najib himself, his wife, or
other family members and close associates on Saturday night.
Reuters saw about 20 police officers enter the
marble-floored lobby of the Pavilion Residences apartment block
in the Malaysian capital, just as Mahathir was holding a news
conference to announce key members of his cabinet.
They were aided by at least a dozen other plainclothes
law-enforcement officers. Security personnel from the building -
which is owned by Desmond Lim, a wealthy Malaysian businessman
and supporter of Najib - were cooperative.
"We are looking for government documents that may have been
illegally taken," said a senior police officer, who requested
anonymity as he was not authorised to talk to the media.
"The government are worried they could be sensitive and
important, and could be taken out of the country."
He declined to say whether any documents had been found and
described the operation as "ongoing".
According to the police, members of Najib's family had been
staying at the apartments, but they declined to name them.
ORANGE BOXES
The police action followed a complaint lodged by two leaders
of the youth wing of Mahathir's political party, Bersatu.
The police report of the complaint, reviewed by Reuters,
alleges that vans emblazoned with the logo of the department of
the prime minister and cabinet delivered boxes for 50 Birkin
handbags to Pavilion Residences on Thursday evening.
The report alleged that the boxes showed the name of the
consignee as Rosmah Mansor.
Two photos provided with the report and reviewed by Reuters
showed a van with the department's logo and a shopping trolley
filled with orange boxes. The location, the date and the
contents of the boxes - including whether there were any of the
handbags inside - could not be ascertained from the photos.
The Birkin handbags concerned would cost $200,000 each, the
complaint said.
The senior police officer only confirmed "family members" of
Najib had stayed in the apartment complex when Reuters asked if
Rosmah had stayed there.
Another officer involved in the operation described the
persons of interest as "VVIPs", or very, very important persons.
Both police officers said investigators were not primarily
interested in the luxury items but were chasing documents that
could be vital for investigations into Najib's administration.
ANNOUNCED OVERSEAS TRIP
Kuala Lumpur's police chief and an official police
spokeswoman did not respond to requests for comment.
Najib said earlier on Saturday that he was going abroad for
a week to rest, but just minutes later the Department of
Immigration announced that he and his wife had been barred from
leaving the country.
Mahathir, who was sworn in as prime minister on Thursday,
has vowed to probe the loss of billions of dollars from state
fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), which was founded by
Najib.
U.S. Department of Justice documents allege that $681
million from 1MDB was transferred to the personal account of a
person identified as Malaysian Official One, which U.S. and
Malaysian sources have confirmed was Najib.
Najib has said the deposit was a donation by an unnamed
member of the Saudi royal family which had been largely
returned.
(Reporting by Tom Allard Editing by John Chalmers and Martin Howell).
Edited By: T. Mutiasari/B. Soekapdjo.
Editor : M. Tohamaksun
COPYRIGHT © ANTARA News Megapolitan 2018