The Home Ministry today clarified that only DAP Petaling Jaya Utara MP Tony Pua and two others have been barred from leaving the country in relation to the ongoing 1MDB probe.

"Only three are barred from leaving the country," said Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, deputy home minister as quoted by Sin Chew Daily .

He, however, seemed reluctant to reveal the identity of the other two, but confirmed that one of them was from a financial publication of The Edge Media Group.

It is believed that Wan Junaidi was referring to Tong Kooi Ong, the owner.

The company publishes The Edge Financial Daily and The Edge Weekly which were today suspended by the Home Ministry for three months.

The ministry said the suspension order was the publications' report which were '… prejudicial or likely to be prejudicial to public order, security or likely to alarm public opinion or is likely to be prejudicial to public and national interest'.

On Pua's ( photo ) travel ban, he deputy minister criticised the media for allegedly misreporting the matter without first seeking clarification from the Immigration Department.

A travel ban is imposed only when an individual violates immigration provisions or other legislation and it isn't done arbitrarily, said Wan Junaidi.

A multi-agency task force as well as Parliament's Public Accounts Committee are currently investigating the accounts of state-owned 1MDB following reports of misappropriation of funds.

Pua as well as The Edge have been staunch critics of the dubious circumstances of 1MDB's dealings and have called for the culprits to be brought to book.