The Malaysian police on Friday confiscated 284 designer handbags and 72 suitcases containing cash, jewelry and other valuables as part of a corruption and money-laundering investigation into former Prime Minister Najib Razak.
Commercial crime chief Amar Singh said the valuables were seized in a search that began late on Thursday at apartments linked to Mr. Razak at an upscale condominium in Kuala Lumpur.
Mr. Singh said the seizure was part of investigations into a corruption scandal at the 1MDB state fund, which is also being probed by the United States and other countries.
U.S. investigators say Mr. Razak’s associates stole and laundered $4.5 billion from the fund, some of which landed in his bank account, and that $23 million was used to buy a pink diamond necklace for his wife. Mr. Razak, whose coalition was ousted in a stunning election defeat last week, denies any wrongdoing.
Television stations showed footage of police carting away orange boxes containing handbags as well as luggage of various sizes from the condominium.
Mr. Singh said the seizure included Birkin Hermes bags, cash in various currencies, watches and a “big amount” of jewelry. Mr. Razak’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, is known in Malaysia for her love for Birkin bags, which luxury publications say cost from $12,000 to more than $2,00,000.
Mr. Singh declined to say who the apartments belonged to but that the “search was conducted in relevance to our 1MDB investigations.”
Mahathir: more serious than expected
New Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, who led an opposition alliance to victory in May 9 polls that ended the 60-year rule of Najib’s coalition, has reopened the probe into 1MDB.
Mr. Mohamad (92) has said an initial investigation showed the scale of wrongdoing by Mr. Razak’s administration was more serious than expected. He has said that arrests will be made when there is evidence, and there would be “no deal” with Mr. Razak. Mr. Mohamad was premier for 22 years until 2003 but made a political comeback amid anger over the 1MDB scandal.
Police spent 20 hours since late Wednesday searching Mr. Razak’s house, and his lawyer said items such as handbags and clothing were taken away. Several police cars arrived at his house on Friday morning, fueling speculation his arrest may be imminent. Mr. Razak and his wife have been barred from traveling overseas.
5-member panel set up
Mr. Mohamad has said the government will seek to retrieve billions of dollars laundered from 1MDB to repay government debts that have piled up over the years. The government has also told the current attorney general, who cleared Mr. Razak of wrongdoing in 2016, to go on leave, and has relieved the country’s treasury chief, who is also the 1MDB chairman.
The government has set up a five-member committee, including a former attorney general and an adviser to Indonesia’s Financial Services Authority, to handle the 1MDB case.
