Malaysia prime minister Najib Razak cleared by attorney-general after $681m found in account

Malaysia’s attorney-general has cleared the prime minister, Najib Razak, of any criminal offences or corruption, closing investigations into a murky, multi-million-dollar funding scandal that Najib’s opponents had hoped would bring him down.

Najib was buffeted last year by allegations of graft and mismanagement at the debt-laden state fund, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), and by a revelation that $681m was deposited into his personal bank account.

But the attorney-general, Mohamed Apandi Ali, said the transfer was a gift from Saudi Arabia’s royal family, and that no further action needed to be taken.