KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s scandal-ridden former leader Najib Razak was hit with a travel ban on Saturday as speculation mounted he was about to flee the country following his shock election loss, in a possible bid to avoid prosecution over a massive financial scandal. He previously served as prime minister for over two decades, and was himself accused of ruling with an iron fist. Speculation had been mounting that Najib, who has been embroiled in a massive scandal related to state fund 1MDB, might try to flee the country as Mahathir has pledged to investigate the controversy. “The immigration department has just now blacklisted Najib and Rosmah from leaving the country,” Mustafar Ali, director-general of the immigration department, told Agence France-Presse. Najib said in a tweet: “I have just been informed by the immigration department of Malaysia that my family and I are not allowed to go abroad.

Source: Manila Times May 12, 2018 16:30 UTC