KUALA LUMPUR, April 27 — Datuk Muhammad Ibrahim’s appointment as new Bank Negara Malaysia Governor is further evidence of the US-based Wall Street Journal’s (WSJ) faulty reporting about Malaysia, the prime minister’s press secretary asserted today.

Datuk Seri Tengku Sariffuddin Tengku Ahmad said the selection of Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz’s former deputy to succeed her clearly refuted the WSJ’s claims that a technocrat close to the administration would be named to the role.

“The WSJ reported as fact multiple times, including by Ken Brown on 20 April and Tom Wright on 11 March, that the prime minister had appointed Tan Sri Irwan Serigar Abdullah to be the new governor of Bank Negara Malaysia and that he was linked to 1MDB. This was despite no announcement having been made, and based on anonymous sources.

“Unfortunately, many believe the WSJ’s Malaysia reporting, because they don’t realise that the WSJ are allowing themselves to be used as the willing vehicle of Tun Mahathir Mohamed’s Anti Najib Campaign, just for the sake of sensational headlines,” Tengku Sarifuddin said in a statement today.

He added that the US newspaper had failed its basic duty to verify its facts, saying today’s development showed that its reporting could not be trusted.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today named Muhammad as the next BNM governor to replace the retiring Zeti.

The choice was also consistent with Zeti’s advice for the government to select a candidate with a financial and banking background instead of a politician.

The ringgit immediately rose following Najib’s announcement.

WSJ previously reported based on anonymous sources that Irwan, who is Treasury secretary-general, would be made the next BNM governor.

The US paper has reported extensively on 1Malaysia Development Bhd since last year and was the first to reveal the RM2.6 billion deposited in Najib’s accounts prior to Election 2013.