Malaysia Asks $8.3 Billion Question on 1MDB. Here's What We Know

  • New government digging into investments by state-owned company
  • Answers may be found in investigations around the world
Najib Razak at the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission headquarters on May 24.Photographer: Joshua Paul/Bloomberg
Lock
This article is for subscribers only.

Malaysia’s new government has wasted no time training its sights on 1MDB, the scandal-ridden state investment company that’s spurred criminal and regulatory probes around the world.

Less than a day after taking office, new Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng had ousted premier Najib Razak in his cross-hairs as he spoke of a cover-up of 1MDB’s finances. In his latest salvo, Lim asked Najib to explain where $8.3 billion raised and planned for certain ventures had "gone to," implying funds may have been misused when the former leader was chairman of 1MDB’s advisory board.