KUALA LUMPUR, July 31 — The publication of charge sheets purportedly prepared against Datuk Seri Najib Razak is an attempt to tarnish the prime minister’s reputation, Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said today.

Denying the existence of such documents, the deputy prime minister accused Sarawak Report of a malicious bid to discredit the Najib administration.

Zahid, who is also home minister, said the police and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission have been instructed to investigate the matter.

“I would like to state clearly that claims that there was already a charge sheet drafted against Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak are untrue.

“The report made by SR was malicious and intended to foster negative perceptions towards the prime minister,” Zahid said in a press conference at the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman here.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Khalid Abu Bakar, speaking at the same media briefing, said his agency will investigate Sarawak Report founder Clare Rewcastle-Brown under Section 124 of the Penal Code, which covers actions detrimental to parliamentary democracy.

“The actions by Clare have violated a few laws and numerous police reports have been lodged on the matter so we will charge her under Section 124 of the Penal Code,” he said.

Pictures of the alleged document were published yesterday by whistleblower site Sarawak Report, which claimed to have obtained a copy of corruption charges that were in the final stages of being drafted by Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail against Najib and one other person connected to the 1MDB controversy.

Newly appointed AG Tan Sri Mohamad Apandi Ali said today the charge sheet was fake as it would not have been possible for the documents to be prepared as the special taskforce investigating 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

Sarawak Report has previously been accused of tampering with stolen documents related to 1MDB that it obtained from a former PetroSaudi International executive currently awaiting trial in Thailand as well as fabricating others.

Abdul Gani was abruptly removed as AG in an announcement by the Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Ali Hamsa Tuesday, ostensibly due to health concerns.

However, the Sabah-born who served as AG nearly 13 years since January 2002 told Malay Mail Online that he had not been aware of his removal until the announcement.

Up to then, Abdul Gani was part of a multi-agency government taskforce investigating claims of misappropriated funds involving Najib and 1MDB.