Secretary-general to the Finance Ministry Irwan Serigar Abdullah, who has reportedly been tipped to replace Zeti Akhtar Aziz as Bank Negara governor, has denied any knowledge of this.

"I just read The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), I don't know, I don't know," he insisted when contacted by Malaysiakini today of the financial daily's report citing his name.

Rumours of him taking over as Bank Negara governor was first reported by WSJ today in an article titled, '1MDB Adviser to Lead Malaysia’s Central Bank'.

Quoting sources, WSJ said Irwan would be named next week, despite the central bank's efforts to recommend an internal candidate.

The US financial daily noted that Irwan sits on the board of advisers of the embattled 1MDB, which has been saddled with controversy.

Irwan is also a member of Bank Negara’s board of directors.

WSJ noted that Bank Negara has been among the most aggressive agencies investigating allegations against 1MDB, which is fully owned by the Finance Ministry.

Meanwhile Zeti, whose term ends on April 30 after a 16-year tenure, yesterday said Bank Negara has submitted its own candidate but would not reveal the identity of their candidate.