Former Malaysian PM Najib Razak fails to have corruption charges overturned
- Evidence so far has shown a complex trail of money in and out of Najib’s bank accounts, connecting him to the wide-ranging 1MDB corruption scandal
Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Najib Razak has failed in his bid to have seven corruption charges against him dismissed as his trial entered the third week on Monday.
At the start of his trial April 3, Najib challenged the criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering charges against him on grounds they lacked clarity and impeded the preparation of his defence.
Judge Mohamad Nazlan Mohamad Ghazali ruled on Monday that Najib hadn’t been prejudiced as his lawyers had extensively cross-examined 21 witnesses who testified so far. The judge ruled the charges would stand.
The trial is the first of several against Najib, who faces 42 corruption charges in one of the country’s biggest criminal proceedings. The first seven charges specifically relate to the suspicious transfer of 42 million ringgit (US$10.2 million) from SRC International into Najib’s bank accounts via intermediary companies between 2011 and 2015.
SRC is a former unit of the 1MDB state investment fund, which US investigators say was pilfered of billions by Najib’s associates. The scandal helped lead to Najib’s electoral defeat last May.
Najib is accused of using his position to receive the money for approving a government guarantee for a government loan to SRC, committing criminal breach of trust and accepting proceeds from unlawful activities.
