(July 8): A blogger, who was once charged with criminally defaming Datuk Seri Najib Razak, is now suggesting top civil servants are conspiring to remove the prime minister from his position in a "coup d'etat".

Raja Petra Kamaruddin, who lives in self-exile in Manchester, England, said yesterday Malaysia's task force investigating the alleged US$700 million (RM2.67 billion) money trail from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) into Najib’s personal accounts was part of a wider plot involving six Tan Sris ahead of an Auditor-General's probe and the parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) hearings. Tan Sri” is a top federal title usually given to senior civil servants, politicians and businessmen.

The blogger, whose popularity has plummeted after appearing to side with the government, was referring to the task force comprising the Attorney-General's Chambers, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), police and Bank Negara Malaysia to investigate the claims that money had been transferred into Najib’s account in The Wall Street Journal's report last week. The task force is investigating the debt-ridden 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.

"So they need this coup d’etat so that Najib can be forced out of office. Then the issue ends there and no further action is required," he said in his Malaysia-today newsite.

However, Raja Petra did not name the Tan Sri or the people behind the “coup d’etat”.

He added that whether or not claims that RM2.67 billion was transferred out of 1MDB were true, there was no evidence Najib was the beneficiary.

The blogger said this would then demolish the allegation that the prime minister stole the money and as such, the people would want to know who the real beneficiaries were.

He said the anti-Najib forces did not want to wait for the task force or the Public Accounts Committee to complete their investigations for fear that Najib may be cleared of theft.

Raja Petra was referring to the task force comprising the Attorney-General's Chambers, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), police and Bank Negara Malaysia to investigate the claims that money had been transferred into Najib’s account in a The Wall Street Journal report last week.

"So before any conclusive evidence is revealed, that may or may not clear Najib, they want to ‘play safe’ and oust him now.

"In that way, in case the whole thing does not work out the way they hope, and Najib is not implicated in theft, then Najib would be out anyway and so it no longer matters."

He added, however, that if the plot failed and Najib remained in office and the probe revealed he did not steal the money, the investigation would carry on to finds out the real beneficiaries.

Raja Petra said the danger of that was that some of the beneficiaries could actually be those making the allegations against Najib or their children.

"Now, would that not be most embarrassing when you make an allegation against someone and then it is finally discovered that you or your children were actually the beneficiaries?

"Yes, in that case I, too, would want Najib buried before the truth is known," Raja Petra said. – The Malaysian Insider