Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, responding to the United States Department of Justice’s civil suit over the misappropriation of funds from the state-owned fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), on Thursday said it is best that the legal process be allowed to take its course before a conclusion is made on the matter. "This is a civil action not a criminal action. Meanwhile former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Malaysians should push for a referendum on Najib's leadership as he launched a new opposition front made up of ruling party rebels and members of the opposition. He added that the government would give its full cooperation to international investigations of the 1MDB case.The complaint does not name Najib, but it does cite "Malaysian Official 1", described as a high-ranking government official who oversaw the fund and is a close relative of Riza. The fund said it has not been contacted by the Justice Department or any other foreign agency on the matter.Malaysia's attorney-general said on Thursday there has been no evidence from any global probe that show funds were misappropriated from 1MDB and no criminal charges have been made against any individuals.The A-G had previously in January cleared Najib of any wrongdoing, saying the money was a political donation from the Saudi royal family.Malaysia's opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat on Thursday called on Najib to step down.

Source: The Nation Bangkok July 22, 2016 04:30 UTC