Switzerland has widened its corruption probe into a Malaysian state-owned fund linked to prime minister Najib Razak, with two new suspects indicted over an alleged phony bond deal.
The Swiss attorney general’s office (OAG) said the new suspects – who are accused of fraud, bribery and other offences – are officials from the United Arab Emirates who were in charge of sovereign funds based in Abu Dhabi.
In a statement, the OAG said it had evidence that the management of the 1MDB fund violated Swiss embezzlement laws through a fraudulent bond agreement with the UAE officials, with money routed through Swiss banks.
Allegations that billions were looted from 1MDB in a vast campaign of fraud have shaken Najib’s government.
The scandal intensified last week when a Malaysian parliamentary committee clearly suggested misconduct had occurred, in the first condemnation from an official body in Kuala Lumpur.
Switzerland opened its own criminal probe into 1MDB last August, targeting two former Malaysian officials “and persons unknown” on suspicion of bribery, money laundering and other offences.
The OAG has said that up to $4bn of public funds in Malaysia may have been misappropriated, with a portion of the money transferred to Swiss accounts controlled by former Malaysian officials and people based in the UAE.
Concerning the latest allegations, Swiss authorities are scrutinising bonds issued by 1MDB subsidiaries officially intended to finance electric power plant projects in Malaysia.
Read more on The Guardian
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