Malaysian Prosecutor: Prime Minister's Funds Were Private Gifts from Al Saud

Following months of protests and marches against Najib Razak, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, due to allegations of "corruption" and receiving hundreds of millions of dollars from foreign sources, the prosecutor's office of that country stated that these funds were a "gift" from the Saudi royal family. In a statement released by the Attorney General of Malaysia on January 26, official investigations into the allegations against Mr. Razak are effectively halted. Political organizations and a group of Malaysian citizens have repeatedly protested against the cases related to Razak's receipt of money through various gatherings and marches over the past months. Among them, a group of the most significant political opponents of the Malaysian government has also been imprisoned on various charges, including "sodomy." The new case against the Prime Minister relates to a very large sum transferred to his personal account. This amount was deposited into his account when Razak was facing another charge regarding the disappearance of hundreds of millions of dollars from a contract related to the "1Malaysia Development Berhad" company. Both Najib Razak and "1MDB" have strongly denied the allegations. However, among the protesters against him are even a group of former members of the ruling body in Malaysia, such as Mahathir Mohamad, the former Prime Minister. Until now, it was not officially clear who the source of the money deposited into Najib Razak's account was. According to Agence France-Presse, Muhammad Apandi Ali, the Malaysian prosecutor, without providing details about the investigations, told reporters that the $681 million in Razak's personal account was a private gift from the ruling Saudi royal family. He also expressed satisfaction that the allegations against the Prime Minister are losing credibility. Last summer, during widespread protests against him, Mr. Razak dismissed the Attorney General responsible for the investigation into the case. The Prime Minister of Malaysia is also the leader of the United Malays National Organization (UMNO), which leads a coalition of parties that have held power in the country under various names since Malaysia's independence.