Australian Broadcasting Corporation quoted its reporter Linton Besser as saying “there was absolutely no police cordon”.

“Absolutely none, and that is why initially it was so disturbing when we were told we were going to be charged with a criminal offence… We have audio. There are no instructions given.”

Questioned on what they asked the prime minister, he said: “I asked him how he could explain or whether he could explain the hundreds of millions of dollars that have flowed into his personal bank accounts in recent years.

“He initially looked at me when I introduced myself and then he continued walking and ignored me.”

Besser said he and his cinematographer Louie Eroglu were immediately surrounded by police and taken away from there.

“The police were very upset with us because they had been embarrassed that a foreign journalist had been able to ask a question.”

He said they were unable to get seats on a flight out and were looking for a hotel when police later detained them. They were questioned for six hours and had their passports taken from them.

Although the two newsmen were reported to have been deported from Malaysia, they claimed “our passports don’t say we’ve been deported”.

“We were never given a piece of paper to say that that was the case.”

The executive producer of the channel’s Four Corners programme this morning released a video of the events that led to the duo’s arrest.

Taking to Twitter, senior journalist Sally Neighbour posted a link to the 58-second clip on video-sharing site Vimeo along with the caption: “This is the moment @4Corners reporter @Ibonline confronted Malaysian PM Najib”.

Besser and Eroglu left on a 10.25am flight from Kuching to Singapore after charges against them for obstructing a public servant were dropped.

The two were arrested on Saturday and held for six hours at the Padawan district police headquarters for allegedly breaking a security cordon.

On Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi denied the move was meant to prevent the duo from asking questions of the prime minister, but rather to ensure Najib’s security.