The prime minister has consistently denied any wrongdoing related to 1MDB since the scandal erupted in 2015.

US President Donald Trump has invited Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is embroiled in a corruption scandal under investigation in the States, involving issues such as money laundering, to the White House on September 12. 

The US Department of Justice is carrying out a criminal probe into 1Malaysia Development Berhad, or 1MDB, a state-owned fund founded by Najib that authorities allege has had billions of dollars siphoned from it.

The DoJ has also filed lawsuits seeking to seize some $1.7 billion in assets it says were purchased using misappropriated 1MDB funds, making it the largest kleptocracy case in the department’s history. Aside from the US, the fund is currently the subject of investigations in at least five countries including Singapore, Australia and Switzerland. 

Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing related to 1MDB since the scandal erupted two years ago. 

Relations between the US and Malaysia soured in the final months of the Obama administration after the DoJ filed the suits. Najib has since attempted to restore his country’s relations with the US, and was one of the first to congratulate Trump on his White House takeover. 

A meeting with the president could help bolster ties between both nations, and refute suggestions that he would be arrested if he travels to the US. 

To read Family Wealth Report’s most recent coverage of 1MDB, click here.