19 September 2018 03:56 pm
The agency said former Prime Minister Najib was detained at its office and will be taken to court on Thursday to face the charges.
He was earlier charged with multiple counts of criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering over the scandal at the 1MDB state fund. He has pleaded not guilty.
Those charges involve the transfer of 42 million ringgit ($10.3 million) into his bank accounts from SRC International; a former unit of the 1MDB fund that international investigators say was looted of billions by his associates.
He set up 1MDB when he took power in 2009 for the stated purpose of promoting economic development, but the fund amassed billions in debts and is being investigated in the US and several other countries for alleged cross-border embezzlement and money laundering.
After leaked documents exposed the scandal, he sacked critics in his government, muzzled the media and quashed investigations. Public anger led to the defeat of his long-ruling coalition in May 9 elections and ushered in the first change of power since Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957.
The new government reopened the investigations stifled under former Prime Minister Najib's rule and barred him and his wife from leaving the country. Police also seized jewelry and valuables valued at more than 1.1 billion ringgit ($270.2 million) from properties linked to him.