No criminal charges have been filed in the scandal surrounding Malaysia's 1MDB sovereign wealth fund, which was overseen by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. Obama spoke generally with Najib on a visit to Malaysia last year about the need for transparency and good governance, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a news briefing. "For business interests who are considering doing business in Malaysia, they're going to be looking for signs that there is good business climate," Earnest told reporters. The lawsuits will likely affect relations, but they did not come as a surprise, said a US congressional aide. Malaysia's Attorney-General Mohamed Apandi Ali, however, expressed "strong concerns at the insinuations and allegations" of wrongdoing against Najib in the lawsuits.

Source: dna July 22, 2016 04:30 UTC