Former official at troubled state fund 1MDB barred from leaving Malaysia
Opposition figures also barred from leaving Malaysia as pressure grows on PM Najib
Malaysian authorities have barred a key former official from the troubled state wealth fund 1MDB and several opposition figures from leaving the country, in a move described as quelling public scepticism and clamping down on dissent.
Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil, a former chief investment officer of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB), was the first key official from the fund to be placed on the travel blacklist since an investigation was launched into allegations that money had been siphoned off from the now heavily indebted fund.
The 44-year-old reportedly held key positions in 1MDB and UBG Bank at the time when PetroSaudi International was negotiating loans from 1MDB while buying out the Malaysian bank. The Sarawak Report, a whistle-blowing website, has raised concerns that Nik Faisal's roles in the two companies constituted a conflict of interests.
Opposition politicians Tony Pua and Rafizi Ramli, both staunch critics of Najib, have also revealed they were put on the travel blacklist. Other figures that have also been barred from leaving the country are The Edge Media Group owner Tong Kooi Ong and publisher Ho Kay Tat. Ho was yesterday summoned by the police for questioning.