Malaysia arrests 2 Australian reporters for questioning PM on 1MDB graft

Two Australian reporters have been detained in Malaysia for trying to question Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak during a press conference about the $681 million found in his bank accounts, local media reports Sunday.

Sources from Australia’s ABC broadcaster confirmed Sunday that journalist Linton Besser and camera operator Louis Eroglu were detained last night after attending a media conference in the city of Kuching, but were subsequently released without charge.

Sally Neighbour, an executive producer in the ABC, said on her Twitter account that the arrests were a result of the reporters’ interest in the corruption scandal involving Najib.

Last year, the media reported that Najib had received $681 million from the stateowned fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB.

The 1MDB fund was set up by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2009 to help strengthen the country’s economy, but has been dogged by controversy over billions of dollars of debt and alleged financial mismanagement.

Najib, 62, claimed the money was a gift from the Saudi royal family and was cleared of all charges by the public prosecutor’s office.

Experts believe that the corruption scandal has created a rift in the Najibled United Malays National Organisation, the coalition that has governed Malaysia since its independence in 1965.