Kuala Lumpur (AFP) — Hundreds of millions of dollars that ended up in the personal bank accounts of Malaysia’s prime minister must be handed to the government, a lawsuit filed by his predecessor demanded Wednesday.

Najib Razak, 62, has been under fire for months over allegations that perhaps billions of dollars were stolen from a state investment company he founded, and his own admitted acceptance of a mysterious $681 million overseas payment.

Both Najib and the now debt-stricken company, 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), strongly deny wrongdoing and reject accusations that the money paid directly into his personal accounts in 2013 involved 1MDB funds.

The suit by Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s strongman leader from 1981-2003, demands that Najib compensate the Malaysian government for the $681 million, according to a copy of the complaint.

The former leader, a prominent critic over the affair, also accused Najib of abusing his position “to undermine, subvert and compromise the various respective institutions” investigating the scandals.

It remains to be seen whether the case will have any effect against Najib, who has taken a number of heavily criticised steps to tamp down the affair.

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