Obama Voices Concern to Najib About Governance in Malaysia

Najib has faced pressure to step down over funding scandal
Tensions in Malaysia have led investors to sour on nation

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and US President Barack Obama hold a meeting at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Center prior to the start of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.
Photographer: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

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By Angela Greiling Keane and Shamim Adam

November 20, 2015 at 2:20 PM UTC

Updated on

November 21, 2015 at 12:49 PM UTC

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U.S. President Barack Obama’s meeting Friday with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak stands out on a long list of his one-on-one talks with world leaders this week because the premier is under fire over a multi-million dollar funding scandal.

Obama could hardly skip a meeting with Najib, who is hosting Obama at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit, but it might not be a photo op the White House touts. While the two played golf in Hawaii last year, Najib now faces pressure to explain how 2.6 billion ringgit ($607 million) ended up in his personal bank accounts in 2013, and has cracked down on dissenters while using sedition laws to detain media executives.