Marina Mahathir has shot back at a federal minister saying incompetent leaders are responsible for the dipping stock market, not rumours of eloping daughters.

She was responding to Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak, who had sniped her father former prime minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad using the example of a rumour about one of the latter's daughters "eloping with an Indian man".

Salleh yesterday used the anecdote saying the rumour had caused stock markets in Malaysia and across the Causeway at the time to dip.

"Dear Salleh, people eloping, especially when untrue, don't affect the market.

"VIPs stealing billions do. Idiots running countries, even more so," said Marina, a prominent social activist, on Twitter today.

Later, she clarified in a reply to an ensuing tweet that she was specifically talking about "rich politicians" when she referred to "VIPs".

Since last year, Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak has been facing allegations of financial scandals involving the RM2.6 billion revealed to be in his personal bank accounts and the troubled state fund 1MDB, his brainchild.

Najib has denied any wrongdoing and said the money was a political donation from the Middle East, later affirmed by attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali to be from Saudi Arabia.

Apandi had also cleared Najib of any wrongdoing earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir who several months earlier said he believes the money was an "investment" instead of a donation, made an about-turn and admitted that his country is aware of the purported donation given without strings attached.

Mahathir, Najib and 1MDB's strongest critic, has been facing a slew of attacks from his former Umno comrades since he quit the party over the prime minister's refusal to step down.