Ex-premier Najib Razak finally took the stand today in the first of 42 criminal charges he faces in the multi-billion dollar globe-spanning 1MDB swindle
The long-awaited first hearing of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak’s trial began at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today. It marks the first time a former Malaysian leader has stood in the accused dock for a criminal hearing.
The date coincidentally marks exactly a decade since Najib was sworn in as Malaysia’s sixth prime minister. He has been arrested multiple times since his unexpected ouster in a May 2018 general election and now faces 42 criminal charges linked to a globe-spanning financial scandal involving the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) state development fund.
Investigators believe an estimated US$4.5 billion was embezzled from the state fund between 2009 and 2014, some of which was traced to the ex-premier’s bank accounts. After a wait that has had Malaysians on tenterhooks, the opening of today’s trial represents just the first of several criminal proceedings Najib is due to face in the months ahead.
The former premier, who has deftly utilized social media to reinvent himself as an opposition politician in recent months, maintains his innocence and denies all wrongdoing.
Nile Bowie is a writer and journalist with the Asia Times covering current affairs in Singapore and Malaysia. He can be reached at nilebowie@gmail.com.
The long-awaited first hearing of former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak’s trial began at the Kuala Lumpur High Court today. It marks the first time a former Malaysian leader has stood in the accused dock for a criminal hearing.
The date coincidentally marks exactly a decade since Najib was sworn in as Malaysia’s sixth prime minister. He has been arrested multiple times since his unexpected ouster in a May 2018 general election and now faces 42 criminal charges linked to a globe-spanning financial scandal involving the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) state development fund.
Investigators believe an estimated US$4.5 billion was embezzled from the state fund between 2009 and 2014, some of which was traced to the ex-premier’s bank accounts. After a wait that has had Malaysians on tenterhooks, the opening of today’s trial represents just the first of several criminal proceedings Najib is due to face in the months ahead.
The former premier, who has deftly utilized social media to reinvent himself as an opposition politician in recent months, maintains his innocence and denies all wrongdoing.
Read the full story at Asia Times.
