KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 24 ― The Edge Media Group chairman Datuk Tong Kooi Ong said today he had flown to London in 2015 to brief Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad over the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal, just before his paper was suspended.

Writing in an opinion piece in his weekly paper The Edge, Tong said he made the trip with Datuk Nazir Razak ― the brother of Datuk Seri Najib Razak ― whom he said had worked with him on 1MDB since 2014.

"I discussed the situation with Najib’s brother Nazir, who had been working closely with me since 2014 to find ways to uncover the shenanigans at 1MDB so that action could be taken. Nazir was also under a lot of pressure to back off.

"We agreed that we needed to seek help from Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and flew to London in April, where he was at the time, to brief him. We felt only Tun Dr Mahathir could do something,” Tong wrote.

He said Nazir and him also met several other government leaders such as then deputy prime minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.

"All of them wanted to know more about what had happened at 1MDB.

"Muhyiddin subsequently spoke up and paid the price as Najib dismissed him as DPM and sacked him from Umno,” he said, referring to Najib’s decision in June 2016.

Dr Mahathir and Muhyiddin would later form Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia, and as part of Pakatan Harapan won the 14th general election and ousted Barisan Nasional and Umno after six decades.

Both are currently prime minister and home minister respectively.

Most recently, Dr Mahathir had launched Tong’s FundMyHome home financing scheme.