(25 May 2018) Malaysian police said on Friday the cash stashed in bags at an apartment linked to former Prime Minister Najib Razak and seized in a money-laundering investigation amounted to 114 million ringgit (28.6 million US dollars).
Police seized 284 boxes of expensive designer handbags and 72 pieces of luggage stuffed with cash, jewellery and watches from an unoccupied apartment at a high-end Kuala Lumpur condominium on May 18.
Allegations of corruption at the 1MDB state investment fund that Najib set up led to his shocking defeat and the end of his coalition's 60-year unbroken rule in May 9 elections.
He has denied any wrongdoing.
Najib's United Malays National Organisation, which is the main party in the former ruling coalition, said in a statement that the cash seized by police was donations to the party, partly for the recent elections.
Najib has stepped down as party president after the election loss and hasn't yet transferred the money to the new leadership, the statement said. It called for the money to be returned to the party once the investigation is completed.
Commercial crime investigations chief Amar Singh said 35 of the 72 pieces of luggage contained cash in 26 denominations, largely the Malaysian and Singapore currencies, amounting to 114 million ringgit.
Singh said police are still assessing the value of jewellery and watches in the other 37 items of luggage.
He declined to say who the unoccupied apartment belongs to, saying the investigation is ongoing.
In total, Singh said police raided 12 locations as part of the probe into a criminal breach of trust involving the 1MDB fund.
He said police also seized 500,000 ringgit (126,000 US dollars) in cash and an unidentified amount of foreign currencies, as well as more handbags and valuables from Najib's family home.
Police also separately took 150 handbags and valuables from an apartment occupied by Najib's daughter, he said.
Najib and his wife have been barred from leaving the country.
Najib was grilled for more than 10 hours over two days this week by the anti-graft agency.
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