Malaysia sackings over money scandal
Updated 37 minutes ago
Najib Razak has vehemently denied wrongdoing over the scandal
Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak has replaced his deputy amid a continuing financial scandal.
Muhyiddin Yassin had criticised Mr Najib's handling of allegations surrounding a state investment fund.
Mr Najib has denied allegations that nearly $700m (£450m) were transferred to his personal bank accounts from the 1MDB fund, which he set up in 2009.
Attorney General Abdul Gani Patail, who led the investigation into the scandal, was also replaced, said state media.
The statement carried by the Bernama news agency said his dismissal was on health grounds.
The BBC's Jennifer Pak in Kuala Lumpur says that with these latest developments, Malaysians have doubts about whether the truth of the scandal will come out.
Though Mr Najib appears to have bought himself some time, there is continuing pressure and he still faces a lot of questions from opposition parties as well as from within his own party, the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), says our correspondent.
'Strong team'
Announcing the dismissal of Mr Muhyiddin on television, Mr Najib said that differences in opinion were "not supposed to be expressed in an open forum, which is against the concept of collective responsibility in the government".
He said the decision was "a very difficult one, but I had to do it so a strong team can move forward".
Mr Muhyiddin has been replaced by former home minister, Zahid Hamidi, said Mr Najib. Four other ministers have also been replaced in a cabinet reshuffle.
Mr Muhyiddin has been Mr Najib's deputy since 2009 when Mr Najib became PM
On Sunday night, Mr Muhyiddin had spoken on the 1MDB issue at an Umno party meeting which was covered by local media.
He revealed he had urged Mr Najib to step down from 1MDB, where he serves as chairman on its board of advisers.
The Malaysian Insider quoted him saying: "I told him to let go of his post in 1MDB, but he didn't want to listen...I don't have any evil intention, my will is to help him."
He also called on Mr Najib to personally explain the issue.
"[The ministers] cannot explain properly because even we don't know the real facts, so who is going to tell us the real facts, it should be the prime minister, true or not," he was reported as saying by The Star.
1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad) says it has never given money to Mr Najib and that the allegations are unsubstantiated.
Mr Najib says he is the victim of "political sabotage" and has accused influential former prime minister Mahathir Mohamed of orchestrating a smear campaign to topple him.
BBC © 2015
(FRANKS..) Continue reading the main story Nigeria abductions Politics and parents Malala's appeal Hostage negotiations Military failings Six months since militant Islamist group Boko Haram sparked global outrage by abducting more than 200 girls from Chibok town in north-eastern Nigeria, the government has still failed to secure their release. The BBC's Will Ross spoke to the parents of some of the girls about their ordeal. In the remote farming community of Chibok, the agony is only getting worse. The parents and other relatives of the missing 219 school girls complain that they have been left to rely on a diet of rumour from the media and a long list of unfulfilled promises from the politicians. "The government must do more to get the girls back. Some parents are already dying. About six women have g...