WSJ: Malaysian Prime Minister spends $15 million on luxury goods

(Baonghean.vn) - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is accused of using millions of dollars transferred from 1MDB public funds for personal purposes, but this politician asserted that the money was just a "gift" from Saudi Arabia.

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak.

An American newspaper reported on March 31 that Mr. Najib Razak used the money to buy clothes, jewelry and a car. The Wall Street Journal confirmed that it had seen documents containing bank transfer information related to stores in several countries, including the United States, Malaysia and Italy.

According to the newspaper, Mr. Najib's personal spending in the US, Europe and Malaysia exceeded 15 million USD in the period 2011-2014. The source confirmed that the Malaysian Prime Minister spent about 14 million USD at a luxury clothing retailer in Malaysia and 775,000 euros at a jewelry store in Italy. Mrs. Rosmah Mansor - the Prime Minister's wife is also a customer of this brand at another branch.

The Malaysian Prime Minister’s Office has yet to comment on the information. Last July, the Wall Street Journal first reported that 2.6 billion ringgit ($673 million) had been transferred to Mr. Najib from the 1MDB fund in 2013. There are also reports that the fund is currently under investigation by authorities in Switzerland, Hong Kong and the United States.

Najib initially denied receiving the money, but later said it was a personal gift from the Saudi royal family. However, the prime minister has maintained that he did not use the money for personal purposes and has been cleared of any criminal or corruption charges by Malaysia's attorney general.

There is currently a public opinion in Malaysia demanding Mr. Najib’s resignation, even originating from the ruling party’s United Malaysian National Organization. Former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad and dismissed Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin have also joined the opposition forces to lead the “Save Malaysia” movement with the goal of forcing Mr. Najib to resign.

Phu Binh

(According to DW, CNA)