Malaysia PM Anwar Ibrahim responds to Najib Razak’s 1MDB apology

Anwar said while his stance on 1MDB is well known, it was not fair to single out one person for the goings-on in the sovereign wealth fund. His comments come ahead of a High Court decision this week on whether to acquit Najib in another case involving 1MDB.

“Najib made a statement, ‘I apologise for what happened with 1MDB’ and so on,” Anwar said in a speech on Sunday. “I’m the prime minister, the father of the nation. When someone says that, what can I do? I said we received it well.”

Anwar rose to power in 2022 on a promise to crack down on graft, but took a hit to his credibility after forming a coalition with the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), the party that Najib once led. Umno has vowed to defend Najib – and the party’s continued support is crucial for Anwar to stay in office.