The U.S. Accuses Malaysia's Leader of Stealing One Billion Dollars from the People's Money

Najib Razak, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, reacted on Thursday, July 22, to the U.S. government's decision to seize one billion dollars of Malaysian assets, stating that no judgment should be made until all the facts of the case are clear. The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that it intends to seize about one billion dollars of Malaysian assets due to financial scandals. Without naming any specific individual, the U.S. stated that this one billion dollars was stolen from a government fund. It is still unclear what types of assets will be seized by the U.S. In legal cases filed in the U.S. Department of Justice, the total amount embezzled from the Malaysian government fund has been reported as three and a half billion dollars. According to Reuters, in 2013, 700 million dollars was transferred from the account of the '1Malaysia Development Berhad' foundation to the personal account of a government official. A source close to the investigators confirmed that this government official was Najib Razak, the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Najib Razak has denied all allegations. The Malaysian prosecutor also stated that there is no evidence of financial misconduct by Najib Razak. Muhammad Apandi, the Attorney General of Malaysia, stated that this 700 million dollars was a 'political donation' from the Saudi Arabian government to Najib Razak, most of which has been returned. Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Foreign Minister, also declared this amount as a gift. Since his appointment as Prime Minister of Malaysia in 2009, Najib Razak has faced allegations of money laundering in several countries, including the U.S., Switzerland, and Singapore. U.S. federal prosecutors have stated that they are seeking to seize one billion dollars that was spent on purchasing a private jet, famous artworks by painters including Van Gogh and Claude Monet, and luxurious properties in New York, Beverly Hills, and London. According to Reuters, federal prosecutors are also seeking to seize the proceeds from the film 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' in which Riza Aziz, Najib Razak's stepson, invested. However, the production company of this film (Red Granite) announced on Wednesday that the funding for the film was not illicit. The Prime Minister of Malaysia also denied these allegations on Thursday, stating to reporters regarding his country's relations with the U.S.: 'Legal cases do not affect political relations.' He also announced the Malaysian government's readiness to cooperate with international investigations in this matter. Meanwhile, the opposition in Malaysia has called for Najib Razak to step down from power. Mahathir Mohamad, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, also stated in a press conference on Thursday: 'It is time for the people of Malaysia to demand the Prime Minister's resignation.' He called for a referendum on this matter. On Thursday, the hashtag #MalaysianOfficial1 became one of the top ten trends in Malaysia.