KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysia appointed a new chief of its
anti-graft agency on Friday, replacing a previous head who
stepped down two years before his term ended amid a high-profile
graft investigation linked to Prime Minister Najib Razak.
The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) has led
investigations into allegations of graft and financial
mismanagement at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB)
and the transfer of 2.6 billion ringgit ($639.13 million) to
Najib's personal bank accounts.
Najib has denied any wrongdoing.
The multi-billion dollar scandal has shaken investors in
Southeast Asia's third-biggest economy and dented confidence in
Najib's ruling coalition.
The government said in a statement Dzulkifli Ahmad would be the
new MACC chief commissioner from Aug 1.
Dzulkifli was previously at the office of Attorney General Apandi
Ali, who cleared Najib of any criminal offences in 1MDB cases in
January. Critics have questioned Apandi's decision to clear the
prime minister.
Dzulkifli had been touted as a possible successor for weeks
before the announcement, despite calls by anti-corruption groups
and civil rights organizations to appoint a leader from within
MACC, on the grounds that would be more conducive to maintaining
its integrity.
This month, the U.S. Justice Department filed civil lawsuits
seeking to seize more than $1 billion of assets allegedly
siphoned off from 1MDB, saying they were part of "an
international conspiracy to launder money".
The lawsuits do not name Najib, but refer to a high-ranking
government official who received more than $700 million of the
misappropriated funds.
A source familiar with the investigations told Reuters the
official, identified in the lawsuits as "Malaysian Official 1",
was Najib.
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