Outrage after Malaysian PM cleared in scam

Malaysia’s official explanation of the $681 million that ended up in Prime Minister Najib Razak’s personal bank account — it was an entirely proper gift from friends — has triggered derision and fresh questions in a country already well-used to allegations of graft.

On Tuesday, Malaysia’s Najib-appointed attorney-general cleared the Premier of wrongdoing in a scandal that has gripped the nation, declaring that the money was a “personal donation” from the Saudi royal family.

The announcement capped months of evasion by Mr Najib on the source of the money and apparently laid to rest any threat of prosecution by Malaysian authorities.

But Malaysia’s Opposition, anti-graft activists and social media users pounced on the perceived implausibility of the unexplained Saudi largesse and alleged a government whitewash.

The Saudis themselves have not helped the situation, with the Wall Street Journal quoting a Saudi official saying the kingdom’s government had no knowledge of the donation, adding such a royal gift would be “unprecedented”.

Senior Opposition figure Lim Kit Siang called the episode a “high-water mark” in Malaysia’s well-documented history of government corruption and impunity.

“I cannot think of another case in the nation’s history where the attorney-general’s decision... Has been greeted with more scepticism, outrage and scorn,” he said.

Mr Najib, 62, has struggled to explain the mysterious payment since it was revealed last July.

He at first hotly denied it, but his government later acknowledged the payment came from a then-unspecified Middle Eastern donor.

The revelation was particularly explosive because Mr Najib already faced allegations that similar amounts were missing from a state-owned company he founded, and reports of lavish spending and possible corruption by his family, all of which are denied.

The government has since detained or threatened whistleblowers, and Mr Najib has purged his leadership of critics, including sacking a previous attorney-general who was investigating the funds. Malaysian social media roiled with derision on Wednesday. Mr Najib’s Facebook page and other sites filled with derogatory comments as parody images circulated, including one of Mr Najib holding up the middle finger of one hand while holding a wad of cash in the other.