Media is reporting that Malaysian prosecutors will soon file money laundering charges against Paul Stadlen, the one-time media adviser to former prime minister, Najib Razak.
Stadlen’s whereabouts have been unknown since Najib’s defeat in the May 9th elections, and he is expected to be charged in absentia.
Sources from inside the the prosecutor’s office told financial outlet The Edge Markets that the alleged laundering of RM15 million (US$3.7 million) that trace back to the media adviser’s former employer, Najib, and the 1MDB financial scandal, are the basis of his charges.
Najib himself currently has 42 charges lauded against him in relation to claims he misappropriated vast sums from the sovereign wealth fund.
Having previously worked for the UK-based PR outfit, APCO International, Najib’s agency after he was first elected in 2009, Mr. Stadlen later left the company to work directly for the former PM. His role raised a few eyebrows as he was not part of the Prime Minister’s Office, and worked apart from his official press squad.
Late last year, both local and international press, speculated that charges against the media high-flyer were on the horizon, as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission sought him for questioning in the 1MDB scandal.
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