Dr Mahathir Mohamad has cited 53 international media organisations which have reported the issues surrounding Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak and 1MDB.

This is to lend credence to his argument that while the Malaysian prime minister is suffering a global credibility deficit, Umno leaders however continue to defend him.

Mahathir's media list, which was posted on his blog, is as below:

1. South China Morning Post

2. The Australian

3. Australia Broadcasting Corporation

4. Sydney Morning Herald

5. Herald Tribune

6. Herald Tribune Latin America

7. International Business Times

8. International Business Times Singapore Edition

9. Wall Street Journal

10. International New York Times

11. TIME Magazine

12. The Guardian

13. The Daily Mail

14. Sun Daily (UK)

15. Euronews

16. Deutsche Welle

17. Singapore Straits Times

18. TODAY

19. Today Online

20. India Today

21. Business Standard (India)

22. India Times

23. Fortune

24. EJ Insight (Hong Kong)

25. Anadolu (Turkey)

26. Bangkok Post

27. Chiang Rai Times

28. BBC

29. New Zealand Herald

30. Reuters

31. Bloomberg

32. Channel News Asia

33. Al-Jazeera

34. PAKISTAN FIRST

35. Swissinfo.ch

36. MWC News

37. East Asia Forum

38. Radio New Zealand

39. CNBC

40. The Independent

41. NewsX (Pakistan)

42. StateoftheStateKS (USA)

43. Asian Correspondent

44. Times of London

45. Financial Times

46. Asia Sentinel

47. Courier Mail

48. Jawa Post

49. Tempo

50. Waspada

51. The Telegraph

52. The Diplomat

53. Myanmar Times

Meanwhile, the former premier also compiled a second list on international agencies probing the 1MDB case and others, which read:

Luxembourg : Public Prosecutors Office, Luxembourg

Switzerland : Swiss Attorney-General's Office

Singapore : Singapore Police Commercial Affairs Department, Monetary Authority of Singapore

USA : US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation

Hong Kong : Hong Kong police

United Kingdom : Serious Fraud Office

United Arab Emirates : The UAE authorities have issued travel bans and frozen the assets of Khadeem Al Qubaisi and Mohammed Badawy Al Husseiny - two top executives of the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund closely linked to 1MDB.

France : French national prosecutor's office (in relation to the purchase of two submarines).

Mahathir said Najib claims that all the allegations against him are untrue and his supporters are quoted as stating that the widespread media reports and the agencies investigating the matter want to tarnish the prime minister’s reputation.

"As if they (these organisations) have no other work apart from running down Najib with news reports and lengthy TV programmes which include photographs and documents.

"All the evidence shown by them cannot be accepted, according to his supporters. What can be accepted and believed is only Najib's denial.

"His denial is sufficient for the attorney-general (Mohamed Apandi Ali) not to bring a case against Najib in court," he said.

Najib has repeatedly denied abusing public funds for personal gain and accused Mahathir of attempting to topple him from power.