Governance watchdog National Oversight and Whistleblowers (NOW) has urged Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak to accord whistleblower protection to former Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) director Bahri Mohd Zin.

The group also called on the authorities to investigate Bahri's claim that "spider web" laws are allowing prominent figures to evade prosecution.

"This is a serious accusation as if MACC is not able to fight corruption.

"At the same time, this challenges the integrity of Najib's administration," said NOW executive director Akmal Nasir in a statement today.

He claimed that looking at the serious cases of graft, leakages, embezzlement and wastage in 2016 as revealed via the Auditor-General's Report and the various scandals that have occurred, there might be some basis to Bahri's allegation.

"In the pursuit of truth as well as to clear his administration's reputation and cleanse it of corruption, Najib should accept Bahri's revelations with an open heart and take courageous steps," he said.

Akmal urged the prime minister to declassify relevant documents protected under the Official Secrets Act to allow the former graftbuster to publicly prove his claims.

He also wanted Najib to form a parliamentary select committee or special commission to investigate all those implicated as Bahri told the media he has information on who purportedly gave and accepted bribes.

By implementing these recommendations, Akmal said Najib can dispel the perceived lack of integrity of his administration when it comes to fighting corruption.

"If his administration fails to take the appropriate steps following Bahri's revelations, the people will continue to lose faith in his commitment to fight against corruption and abuse of power," he added.

Yesterday Malaysiakini reported Bahri saying he chose to retire early from MACC as he was "frustrated" with the investigation into SRC International Sdn Bhd.

SRC, which was previously a subsidiary of 1MDB and now under the Finance Ministry, came under the spotlight after RM42 million of its funds was found in Najib's personal bank account.

While MACC’s 1MDB investigations were complex and involved many overseas jurisdictions - with the attorney-general refusing to issue a mutual legal assistance to the commission to work with foreign investigators - the SRC case was clear-cut as it involved mostly local entities.

The SRC money was deposited into Najib's accounts in two transactions - on Dec 26, 2014 and Feb 10, 2015 - after being routed through two companies, Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd and Ihsan Perdana Sdn Bhd.

Najib has reportedly claimed to be unaware about the money from SRC, and the attorney-general cleared him of any wrongdoing.

The prime minister has also blamed the corruption allegations against him on those conspiring to topple him from power.