Malaysian PM says police to investigate Wall Street Journal over leaked document

Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak attends an event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in this March 14, 2016 file photo. REUTERS/Olivia Harris/Files

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Friday the central bank governor has asked the police to investigate the Wall Street Journal for leaking a confidential document related to an inquiry into scandal-hit government fund. "They (police) will have to investigate. Publishing confidential documents under OSA (Official Secrets Act) is a very serious action on (their) part. And they must be able to provide us with the answers," Najib told reporters at a news conference. Earlier on Friday, the Wall Street Journal published a copy of a letter said to be from Malaysia's central bank and addressed to Hasan Arifin, the chairman of a parliamentary committee investigating the state investment fund, 1Malaysia Development Bhd. When asked if the letter was authentic, Najib said: "I don't know. Let the police investigate...we need to find out first." Bank Negara Malaysia was not immediately available for comment. A spokeswoman for Dow Jones, which publishes the Wall Street Journal, said: "We stand behind our fair and accurate reporting of this evolving story and remain committed to providing robust coverage of events in Malaysia." (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff,; writing by Praveen Menon,; editing by Bill Tarrant.)