The hammer is falling on former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak.

The second set of lawyers representing the ex-premier Najib have quit.

This is the second time lawyers have walked out on him.

Quit

They announced their decision on Tuesday, June 5 before Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor arrived at the headquarters of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) at 11am.

She had been called in to have her statement recorded in connection with a suspicious transfer of about US$10.6 million from the former 1MDB unit SRC International.

Anti-graft agents are questioning her as part of an investigation into a former unit of state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

The sum is just a fraction of the billions of dollars allegedly siphoned from 1MDB, the state fund that Najib set up.

The scandal has been ongoing the last three years during his near-decade-long rule and was a key reason why he was voted out in a May 9 election.

Previous lawyers quit

On May 21, two lawyers of Najib had quit on him the night before he was due to give a statement to the anti-corruption commission.

This was after Najib’s decision to engage a team of lawyers that included a former solicitor-general Mohd Yusof Zainal Abideen and six other lawyers.

It is understood this new team has now quit.

M. Puravalen, a lawyer acting for Najib and Rosmah in connection with the SRC investigations, told Reuters on Tuesday he had "ceased acting" for Najib and Rosmah.

He said a second lawyer, Yusof Zainal Abideen, had also quit.

Puravalen, Abideen and other members of their legal team had reportedly walked out because they failed to reach common ground with Najib on several issues.

None of the lawyers, as well as Najib and Rosmah could be reached for comment.

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Najib has been questioned

Najib has already made a series of statements to anti-graft investigators but attention has shifted to his wife after police discovered hundreds of luxury handbags and a stash of jewellery and cash during raids on apartments linked to Najib and his family.

Police have said 114 million ringgit (US$28.7 million) in cash and more than 400 handbags were seized. Experts were being brought in to value the jewellery, watches and other seized items.

Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing and was cleared of any offence in an earlier Malaysian enquiry.