Malaysian Politics: Najib summoned for interview with anti-graft agency

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02:09

It has been a rapid fall for Malaysia's former prime minister, Najib Razak. After his surprising defeat at the polls this month, he's now facing intensifying probes over a multi-billion dollar scandal. Rian Maelzer reports from Malaysia.

RIAN MAELZER KUALA LUMPUR "Less than two weeks ago, Najib Razak would have expected to be occupying the palatial official residence of the prime minister here in the administrative capital Putrajaya.

Instead, he was ordered to appear a couple of kilometres away at the headquarters of Malaysia's anti-corruption agency to give a statement Tuesday morning.

It's in connection to an earlier investigation by the agency, which found that 10 million dollars from a subsidiary of state investment firm 1MDB appeared to have been diverted into the personal bank account of then-prime minister Najib.

It's just a fraction of the billions of dollars it appears were illegally siphoned off from 1MDB.

The anti-graft agency's new chief was a senior officer when he was sidelined in 2015 while pursuing the 1MDB case.

In an emotional press conference, he said he received threats, that his officers were arrested and that witnesses had disappeared.

MOHD SHUKRI ABDULL, HEAD MALAYSIAN ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION "I've come back to complete my unfinished job. You understand, to complete what I couldn't do before. I'm telling you, let the law take its course. I'm not going to take revenge on anybody."

Najib's statement comes after police raided several properties linked to the former PM in connection to 1MDB investigation, seizing some 284 designer handbags and dozens of suitcases stuffed with cash and a jewelry.

RIAN MAELZER KUALA LUMPUR Meanwhile, a special task force on 1MDB has been established. It is headed by a former attorney general and former head of the anti-corruption commission, who were sidelined or sacked while investigating Najib's involvement in the 1MDB scandal in 2015. Rian Maelzer, CGTN, Putrajaya, Malaysia.