DAP parliamentary leader Lim Kit Siang accused inspector-general of police Khalid Abu Bakar of practising double standards for refusing to investigate Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on his role as 'Malaysian Official 1' (MO1).

This is after a cabinet member admitted that the Najib is the MO1 mentioned in the US Department of Justice's (DOJ) lawsuits to seize assets allegedly purchased with money stolen from 1MDB.

Lim said Khalid would not have adopted such a “dismissive” attitude if Pakatan Harapan or civil society personalities were named in the lawsuits.

“If the persons named... had referred to Pakatan Harapan or civil society personalities, they would have spent the last six weeks since the filing of the DOJ lawsuits on July 20 walking in and out of police lock-ups and investigations," Lim said in a statement.

He said it showed that those in power lived according to a different set of laws than the rest of society.

The DOJ in its civil suits referred to 'Malaysian Official 1' as a high-ranking Malaysian official who held influence in 1MDB and is related to film producer Riza Aziz.

Some US$731 million from 1MDB was said to have been transferred to the personal accounts of MO1.

Riza is Najib's stepson, and he was named as one of those supposedly in possession of assets purchased with purloined 1MDB cash.

On Sept 1, federal minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan told British broadcaster BBC that Najib is MO1, but that the fact that he was not named meant that he was not involved in the matter being investigated.

Lim, who is also Gelang Patah MP, said the IGP's refusal to act meant the police were turning a blind eye to a series of possible criminal conduct.

He said MO1's actions were in relation to a multi-billion dollar theft, embezzlement, misappropriation and money-laundering of 1MDB funds.

Grand larceny not a crime?

In a separate statement, DAP national publicity secretary Tony Pua slammed Khalid for saying that the DOJ case is a civil matter that does not involve criminal elements.

Pua argued that while the DOJ's suits may be civil in nature, the allegations contained in them were criminal.

This includes the US$4 billion allegedly misappropriated from 1MDB and the claim that US$731 million was allegedly pocketed by the prime minister, he said.

"The IGP must answer as to how such misappropriation and grand larceny are not a crime under Malaysian laws," added Pua, the MP for Petaling Jaya Utara.

Khalid had also said yesterday that the police do not get involved in civil suits, nor do they meddle in political matters.

But Pua denied that the lawsuits were a matter of “politics”, pointing out that they involve possible corruption.

"The IGP is failing Malaysians by failing to act without fear or favour against all criminals, regardless of their status and positions," he said.

On Khalid saying it is nosy to ask police to investigate the matter, Pua asked: "Is not being nosy the job of the Malaysian police when it comes to criminal activities?"