CANBERRA
– Australia says it’s deeply concerned over the arrest of two Australian
journalists in Malaysia after they attempted to question Malaysian Prime
Minister Najib Razak over corruption allegations, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop
says.

The
journalists from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) flagship
investigative journalism program, Four Corners, were arrested in the Borneo
state of Sarawak on Saturday night after approaching Najib outside a mosque.

Malaysian
police said in a statement the pair had been arrested for failing to comply
with police instructions not to cross a security line. They were released on
bail on Sunday and charged with “obstructing a public servant in the
discharge of his public functions”.

Bishop
told ABC radio Australia was “deeply concerned”.

“We
are providing consular support to the ABC crew and certainly raising this issue
at the appropriate level with the Malaysian government,” she said.

Najib
has faced sustained pressure to resign since the middle of last year over
allegations of corruption linked to the debt-laden state fund 1Malaysia
Development Berhad (1MDB), and deposits into his private accounts worth around
$681 million.

He has
denied any wrongdoing and maintains he did not use the funds for personal gain.
Malaysia’s attorney-general closed all investigations into Najib last month,
after reviewing reports from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission.

The
government has also cracked down on media organisations that have published
critical reports on the 1MDB scandal.

Last
month, it blocked the widely read news portal The Malaysian Insider, prompting
the United States to voice concern.

Sally
Neighbour, the program’s executive producer, wrote on Twitter that the
journalists had been in Malaysia reporting on the corruption scandal and denied
any allegations of wrongdoing on their behalf.

“Our
journalists were doing what journalists do in countries with a free
press,” she wrote.

Reporter
Linton Besser and camera operator Louie Eroglu have had their passports
returned, Neighbour said, but have been barred from leaving the country.

Former Malaysian leader Mahathir
Mohamad cranked up pressure on Najib to quit earlier this month, marking a
seismic political shift by joining hands with long-standing foes, including the
party of the jailed Anwar Ibrahim.

– Reuters