Malaysian leader faces risk of criminal charge over funds

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 5: Malaysia's leader is facing the risk of a criminal charge over allegations that millions of dollars were funneled from an indebted state fund to his personal bank accounts.


The attorney general confirmed late Saturday he has received documents from an official investigation that made the link between Prime Minister Najib Razak and the investment fund 1MDB. The existence of the documents was first reported by the Asian Wall Street Journal on Friday, showing some $700 million were wired from entities linked to the fund into Najib's accounts.

The documents sent to the attorney general pave the way for possible criminal charges.

This is the first time a Malaysian leader faces criminal allegations, and mark the worst political crisis for Najib, who has come under increasing criticism over his leadership.

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