Former Malaysian PM on trial for corruption

Last Updated on November 2, 2024 5:42 am

A Malaysian court has ordered former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to enter his own defence on charges of abuse of power and money laundering in the 1MDB scandal.

Najib has been charged with four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering for allegedly taking $526 million from One Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).

If convicted, Najib could face up to 20 years in prison and a fine of five times the amount of the crime. He has denied the charges, claiming innocence.

Najib, 71, was convicted of corruption in a separate 1MDB case in 2022 and sentenced to 12 years in prison. A pardon board chaired by Malaysia’s king later halved the sentence and Najib is set to be released in August 2028.

Malaysian and US investigators say Najib is accused of embezzling at least $4.5 billion from 1MDB, a state fund set up by the former prime minister in 2009.

The Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled on Wednesday that prosecutors had filed a 25-count case against Najib. Prosecutors had called 50 witnesses, including former central bank governor JT Akhtar Aziz, to testify.

Najib’s defense chief, Muhammad Shafi Abdullah, said the former prime minister was “deeply disappointed” by the verdict. But he was ready to defend himself.

Najib, who was ousted in 2018 after nine years in power, last week issued a rare apology for his role in the 1MDB scandal.

Najib, who claimed he had no knowledge of the illegal transfer of funds from state funds, said others had misled him. He thought the money transferred to his personal bank account was a political donation from the Saudi royal family.