The trial that began on Wednesday involves losses at the 1MDB subsidiary SRC International, for which Najib faces a total of seven charges: three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money laundering, and one count of abuse of power.

Najib, dressed in a blue suit and white shirt, arrived in the Kuala Lumpur Court Complex shortly before the 2pm start of the trial.

He briefly said prayers with supporters at the entrance of the court complex before walking past journalists into the courtroom, looking solemn throughout.

Inside, an aide placed a gold cushion on the wooden dock as Najib sat down.

His wife, Rosmah Mansor, once regarded as one-half of Malaysia’s most powerful couple, was not present in court. The couple’s youngest son Norashman Najib was.

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The ex-leader, son of the country’s revered second prime minister, Abdul Razak, is the first Malaysian prime minister to stand trial. Coincidentally, the trial began exactly 10 years after Najib was sworn in as prime minister.

In his opening speech, Attorney General Tommy Thomas acknowledged the enormity of the situation.

“It is my duty and privilege to open the first trial in our courts against a former prime minister, who for nearly a decade occupied the most powerful office in the land and wielded near absolute power,” said Thomas, an appointee of Najib’s successor and arch foe, Mahathir Mohamad.

“The accused is not above the law and his prosecution and this trial should serve as precedents,” the attorney general said.

There were few fireworks inside the courtroom apart from that speech, with Najib’s lead defence counsel reserving his opinion on Thomas’s statement for waiting journalists later in the day.

The prosecution’s first witness was questioned by Thomas’s team and Najib’s lawyers before the trial was adjourned. After some bickering over dates, Justice Mohamad Nazlan Mohd Ghazali ruled that the trial would continue from April 15 to May 10.

As Najib walked out of the courtroom shortly after 5.40pm, supporters chanted “Allahuakbar [God is the greatest]” and “Malu apa bossku!’ – the slogan of Najib’s recent public relations campaign that means “What is there to be ashamed about, boss?”.

Outside the courtroom, Najib’s lawyer Shafee Abdullah dismissed Thomas’s opening remarks as “nonsensical” and a “political statement”.

“I’m very confident [Najib can clear his name]. Today makes no difference, so I am still very confident,” said Shafee, a long-time Najib ally who himself faces money laundering and tax evasion charges.

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The start of the court proceedings came after repeated attempts by Najib’s camp to delay the trial.

Among the pre-trial appeals filed by his lawyers were a request for a gag order on the media, and a medical certificate filed by Shafee, who sought a delay by claiming his dog had jumped on him and injured his wrist.

In an about-turn, Najib last week said he was in favour of a live broadcast of his trial to ensure transparency and assure voters that the rule of law was being followed.

The trial was not broadcast live, though major local media outlets ran live blogs offering minute-by-minute updates.

Cynthia Gabriel, head of the non-profit group The Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism, said Malaysians had been waiting “too long” for the trial to begin.

“The multiple delays are so obvious and deliberate, it’s a way of pushing the trials further,” she said. “It’s apparent that the former ousted prime minister isn’t quite ready to sit in the dock and face trial, be cross-examined, and get embarrassed.

He was charged with corruption soon after losing last year’s general election to Mahathir’s Pakatan Harapan coalition.

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As well as Najib, his wife Rosmah and several other former high-ranking government officials have been charged as part of a wide-ranging corruption investigation launched by Pakatan Harapan. Prosecutors have also accused the fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low of involvement in the scandal, though he vigorously denies the claims.

The former prime minister has maintained his innocence throughout, claiming the charges are politically motivated. His supporters and family echo this stance.

On Tuesday, the daughter of Najib and Rosmah, Nooryana Najib, took to social media to defend her father.

“Most of us fail in private. You had to fail in public,” she wrote on Instagram, alongside a picture of her father wearing white ihram clothing during a pilgrimage. “But that just also means while most of us rise up alone, you get to rise up with many. For every dozen who rejoice at shaming you, there are hundreds who stand with you. There are thousands more who wish you well and pray for you. I am one of them.”