PETALING JAYA (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak has claimed that the RM3.5 million (S$1.17 million) allegedly taken by 17 security guards guarding the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) on election night was actually Umno's money.

The former Umno president told Malaysiakini that he was surprised that the security guards who were supposed to guard the PMO had taken the cash from there.

Najib said he read in a few news reports that the authorities had acknowledged that the money was Umno election funds for the 14th General Election (GE14) that were being kept outside the strongroom and safes in the PMO.

"If the authorities know these are Umno funds, then they will also know that the RM114 million seized by the police in the raids of the apartments came from the strongroom and safes in the PMO," said Najib.

Police had seized cash along with luxury watches, handbags and jewellery from several properties linked to Najib after he lost the election.

Najib alleged that the funds were supposed to be used during the campaign period leading up to GE14 on May 9.

Sources said the 17 security personnel aged between 31 and 51 allegedly abused their power to secure the money from the PMO after learning that Barisan Nasional was losing GE14.

They were said to have shared the money among themselves on the morning of May 10.

So far, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officers have seized about RM840,700 and nine motorcycles worth RM90,000 in the course of the investigation.