Mahathir’s son resigns as state chief amid PM scandal
The son of Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad has resigned as a state chief minister in what is seen as a move by Prime Minister Najib Razak to eliminate rivals.
Mukhriz Mukhriz, 51, announced his resignation as head of Kedah state on Wednesday following a push from the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO) to oust him, local media reported.
He was considered among potential future nominees for prime minister. His chances have, however, been affected by his father’s ongoing criticism and call for resignation of Najib over a festering funding scandal.
The Malaysian government has been embroiled in a scandal for more than a year after reports indicated that a sum of four billion dollars is reportedly missing from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad, also known as the 1MDB fund, earmarked for investment in economic and social development projects in Malaysia.
Najib, who founded 1MDB in 2009, became embroiled in the scandal after documents were leaked last year suggesting USD 681 million deposited into his personal accounts may have come from entities linked to 1MDB.
The Malaysian prime minister and 1MDB deny that the USD 681 million involved the investment company’s money but Najib’s critics, including Mahathir, said the premier should step down and face trial.
Last month, Malaysian Attorney General Mohamed Apandi Ali cleared Najib of any wrongdoing, saying the money was a private donation from the Saudi royal family.
Apandi said on Saturday that his office will cooperate with Swiss authorities in the investigations. 1MDB is mired in a 42-billion-ringgit (USD 10.1-billion) debt and has been selling its assets to clear it.
Following the scandal, Najib reshuffled his cabinet to oust a number of his critics, such as his deputy and the attorney general.
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