Brickbats have rained on Umno Youth after its vice-chief Khairul Azwan Harun lodged a police report yesterday alleging a conspiracy among top officials to topple Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak.
Khairul Azwan claimed in his report that recently retired Bank Negara Malaysia governor Zeti Akhtar Aziz, former attorney-general Abdul Gani Patail and outgoing Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission chief Abu Kassim Mohamed are in a plot to oust Najib.
"Umno Youth report is a million steps backward for progress and reform in the country.
"(They) should make reports against Jho Low and the culprits instead," former Umno senator Ezam Mohd Nor said on Twitter.
Ezam was referring to businessman Low, who was among four people named in the US Department of Justice (DOJ) lawsuits to seize assets linked to 1MDB.
The others named are Najib's stepson Riza Aziz and two former Abu Dhabi officials.
In his police report, Khairul Azwan (photo) alleged that the trio provided confidential information to foreign agencies, including the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The FBI is part of the US DOJ's Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative, which is continuing its investigation into the 1MDB case, despite the civil forfeiture filings made last Wednesday.
Umno Youth was also lambasted by former Umno grassroots leader Khairuddin Abu Hassan, who said the police report implies the Youth wing supports corruption.
"Even Najib issued a statement saying those involved must clear their names.
"So I don't understand why (Khairul Azwan) is panicking. His actions are over the top," Khairuddin said.
He said as Muslim, Khairul Azwan should be against corruption, no matter who the perpetrator is.
'Umno Youth should advise the PM to deny'
DAP Youth chief Wong Kah Woh said if Umno Youth really wants to be Najib's number one defender, it should advise the prime minister to deny he is the 'Malaysian Official 1' named in the filings in the United States.
"This will surely serve as the first step in any attempt to clear Najib's name in the scandal, though the next question will follow whether Najib still has any credibility left in convincing the people of Malaysia that he is not 'Malaysia Official 1'," Wong said.
The filings state that 'Malaysian Official 1' received US$731 million, which originated from 1MDB.
'Malaysian Official 1' is described as a high-ranking public official with a position of authority in 1MDB and a relative of Riza.
Najib was chairperson of the 1MDB board of advisers, which has since been disbanded. He also helms the Finance Ministry, which is the sole shareholder of the allegation-riddled firm.
Najib has repeatedly denied abusing public funds for personal gain, and attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali has cleared him of any wrongdoing in an earlier investigation on the US$681 million found in Najib's personal bank account.
