A Malaysian court has determined that former Prime Minister Najib Razak must defend himself against four charges of abuse of power and 21 charges of money laundering linked to the notorious 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.
Background of the Case
The allegations center on Najib’s purported illegal receipt of 2.3 billion ringgit (approximately $526 million) from 1MDB. Despite pleading not guilty, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2022 for graft in a separate 1MDB-related case, though this sentence was subsequently halved by a pardons board led by the Malaysian king.
Court Ruling
On Wednesday, the Kuala Lumpur High Court upheld the validity of all 25 charges against Najib, confirming their correctness in legal terms. A prosecutor stated that Najib will take the stand to defend himself, although his lawyer has yet to comment on the ruling.
Najib’s Response and Apology
Najib, who served as Prime Minister for nine years before being ousted in 2018, issued a rare apology last week for his role in the scandal. He claimed to have been misled, asserting that he believed the funds in his personal accounts were political donations from the Saudi royal family. His apology coincided with the announcement of a new law allowing for house arrest for certain offenses, although the government denied that this law was aimed at Najib.
Seeking House Arrest
In a bid to serve the remainder of his sentence at home, Najib is seeking a court ruling to confirm a royal order that allegedly recommended house arrest as part of the pardons board’s decision.
Global Implications of 1MDB
Investigators in both Malaysia and the United States have uncovered that at least $4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB by high-level officials and their associates between 2009 and 2014. Former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions has described this scheme as “kleptocracy at its worst.” Prosecutors claim that over $1 billion of 1MDB funds ended up in Najib’s personal accounts, and he faces several other trials related to the scandal.
(Includes inputs from online sources)
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