Deputy Home Minister Nur Jazlan Mohamed said civil society organisations should not be concerned over police investigation over their funding if they have nothing to hide.

He also rubbished Lawyers for Liberty executive director Eric Paulsen's claim that the probe on foreign funding recieved by NGOs is part of a "post-Umno annual general meeting witch-hunt".

Several NGO leaders have been called for questioning as part of police investigations into Bersih for alleged funding from American billionaire George Soros-linked Open Society Foundations.

Nur Jazlan said the investigation on Bersih and its chairperson Maria Chin Abdullah started before the Umno general assembly last week.

"The investigation was about the foreign funding, and now police are investigaing other NGOs for receiving foreign funds.

"The timing of the Bersih rally and Umno meeting were unfortunate - they happened during investigation period - but some people are politicising it," he told Malaysiakini in text message.

"Have they got something to hide in the way they are funded? If not, why worry? The courts will decide in the end if there is any wrongdoing," he said.

He reiterated the country subscribed to the principle of "innocent until proven guilty".

Electoral reform group Bersih, the Bar Council and Malaysiakini are being investigated under Section 124C for alleged funding OSF.

On Nov 18, the eve of the Bersih 5 rally Maria arrested and detained for 10 days under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012.

This week several NGO representatives  including from Bersih, Empower, LFL and Suaram, have been hauled up for questioning.

Paulsen said this is a post-Umno AGM "witch-hunt" to portray NGOs as conspiring to topple the government using violence or unconstitutional means, through foreign funding.

'What are NGOs up to?'

Former Bar Council president Ambiga Sreenevasan also demanded Nur Jazlan to provide an explanation on why NGOs are probed for foreign funding but it is fine for Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to receive RM2.6 billion from a Saudi royal.

Ambiga said the donation should be investigated as an activity detrimental to parliamentary democracy under Section 124C of the Penal Code, given that it was used for election spending.

However, Nur Jazlan said the NGOs are "playing politics instead of (referring to) facts".

"Police have investigated that issue and the 1MDB issue. The prime minister has given statement in Parliament, and the matter has been referred to the AG for further action.

"RM2.6 billion investigation was done much earlier before this. Go and read the press report from months before," the Pulai MP said.

He added people have the right to know what NGOs are doing and "whether it is in the interest of the country or foreigners".

Najib has denied abusing public funds for personal gain and blamed such allegations on Mahathir and those conspiring to topple him from power.

Attorney-general Mohamed Apandi Ali also cleared the prime minister, and revealed that of the US$681 million received, US$620 was "returned" to the donor.

In its suit on the alleged abuse of 1MDB funds, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) claimed US$731 million flowed into the accounts of an individual it named as "Malaysian Official 1" or MO1.

Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan confirmed that MO1 is Najib, but claimed that since the documents did not name the prime minister, he was not part of the investigation.

The DOJ in its lawsuit named four individuals, including Najib’s stepson Riza Aziz and Malaysian-born businessman Jho Low, who is said to be a close to the prime minister’s family.