Malaysian ex-minister challenges move not to charge Najib

He posted the photo just a day after a Swiss investigation into 1MDB said there are “serious indications” that about billion may taken from state companies in the country.

Salleh said Lauber had inferred that Apandi had been uncooperative when the Malaysian authorities had instead been waiting to hear from their Swiss counterparts for months.

Last year, Swiss authorities opened an investigation into 1MDB after it amassed more than $11bn (£7bn) of debt. The accounts were held by various former Malaysian public officials and both former and current public officials from the United Arab Emirates.

The fund, 1Malaysia Development Bhd., or 1MDB, set up in 2009 by Prime Minister Najib Razak to spur economic growth, is under investigation in a number of countries.

“In the first place, I don’t believe the money was given by the Saudis, and I don’t believe the balance was returned to the Saudis”.

Requesting Kuala Lumpur’s help, it added that the Malaysian companies concerned have oddly made no comment on their alleged massive losses.

Apandi said the $681 million transfer to Najib’s account was a gift from Saudi Arabia’s royal family, and said no further action needed to be taken on the matter. The city-state had already frozen two accounts a year ago.

In a strongly-worded statement on Tuesday, Malaysia’s communications minister Salleh Said Keruak said 1MDB had undergone extensive audits, some by worldwide firms, and that billions of dollars “simply could not have been misappropriated under such conditions”. Separately in Singapore, the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Commercial Affairs Department said in a joint statement that they had recently seized a number of bank accounts as part of an investigation into possible money-laundering linked to 1MDB.

Asked to respond to Salleh’s comments, spokesman for the Swiss attorney general André Marty said: “As a law enforcement body and judicial authority, the (Office of the Swiss Attorney General) has not to comment on political statements”.

“Singapore is also cooperating closely with relevant authorities, including those in Malaysia, Switzerland and the United States”, said the statement, adding that it can not divulge more details as investigations are still underway.

In a statement issued late on Monday, 1MDB said it had not been contacted by Singapore authorities.

Mr. Ibrahim said Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali’s decision last week not to prosecute Mr. Razak was “unreasonable and constituted an improper exercise of discretion”. 1MDB has also been subject to investigations in the U.S. and Hong Kong.