Malaysia opens first trial for former PM Najib Razak
After several delays, Malaysia finally opened the trial on April 3 for former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who faces corruption charges relevant to the scandal at the state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Former Prime Minister Najib Razak comes to the court on April 3 (Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – After several delays,Malaysia finally opened the trial on April 3 for former Prime Minister NajibRazak, who faces corruption charges relevant to the scandal at thestate investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
At the trial, Razak faces seven charges,including corruption, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering, whichwere said to have helped him pocket 42 million MYR (10.3 million USD). He deniedall charges brought against him.
The former PM was initially due to stand trialon February 12, but the trial was delayed as proposed by his defence team.
The trial took place nearly one year after Razaklost in the general election that helped former PM Mahathir Mohamad, 93, to returnto power.
The 1MDB scandal was one of the reasons whyMalaysian voters turned their backs on Razak’s coalition in the election in May2018, ending the six-decade rule of this coalition, and raised support forMohamad’s alliance.
Since this election, Razak has faced 48 charges,mostly related to the 1MDB fund and other state institutions. However, hedenied any wrongdoings.
Najib founded the 1MDB investment fund in 2009,supposedly to serve Malaysia’s development through global partnerships andforeign direct investment.
However, it became the centre of a moneylaundering scandal, allegedly causing losses of up to 3.7 billion USD andleading to probes in Malaysia and several other countries such as the US,Switzerland, Singapore and China.–VNA
Malaysia on January 29 announced a five-year plan to intensify control over corruption in Government agencies after a multi-billion-USD graft scandal brought down the previous administration.
Malaysia has issued an arrest warrant for Paul Stadlen, a British citizen who worked for former Prime Minister Najib Razak as a media adviser, for money laundering charges, a prosecutor said on February 21.
Malaysian prosecutors said on March 18 that they would summon representatives of two units of US Investment Bank Goldman Sachs in London and Hong Kong to appear at a June hearing of a case linked to corruption in state investment fund 1MDB.
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Former Prime Minister Najib Razak comes to the court on April 3 (Source: VNA) 
