Bukit Aman CID chief Wan Ahmad Najmuddin Mohd can retrieve his A$320,000 (RM970,000) seized by Australian authorities without incurring heavy legal fees, a former editor said today.

Veteran investigative journalist and Malaysiakini columnist R Nadeswaran said this was because the Australian legal system allows for a “no win, no fees” arrangement.

"Wan Ahmad can come to an agreement with any Australian lawyer to fight his case.

"He need not spend much money except for his travels to face the inquiry," Nadeswaran told Malaysiakini.

He said he has personally contacted his former schoolmate, now a lawyer in Melbourne, who has agreed to assist the Malaysian senior police officer in retrieving the almost RM1 million which was frozen by Australian authorities on suspicion of money laundering.

Nades' (photo) offer came following inspector-general of police Fuzi Harun's reported comments yesterday that the legal costs of retrieving the sum were too prohibitive for Wan Ahmad.

It was previously reported by the Sydney Morning Herald that Australian federal police had alleged that the money channelled into Wan Ahmad's Australian bank account contained either laundered money or proceeds from crime.

They pointed out that there was a large number of deposits into the bank account for about a month, with each deposit being under A$10,000 (RM30,000) - the threshold which would have red-flagged the account.

The report said the funds were seized sometime last year and underscored how Australia was being used as a safe haven for laundered money.

Bukit Aman said it had been aware of the matter since 2016 and that an internal investigation had found no wrongdoing on the part of Wan Ahmad.

It said the money came from proceeds from the sale of Wan Ahmad's house in Shah Alam.