Kuala Lumpur - Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak on
Wednesday arrived at a Kuala Lumpur court to face trial over his
alleged involvement in the misappropriation of billions of dollars
from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) state fund.
In the current trial, Najib is facing seven charges of money
laundering, criminal breach of trust and corruption for transactions
totalling 10 million dollars that allegedly ended up in his personal
bank account from SRC International, a subsidiary of 1MDB.
1MDB is the subject of a sweeping international probe by multiple
countries - including Singapore, Switzerland and the United States -
over suspicions that around 4.5 billion dollars were siphoned from
the fund by high-ranking Malaysian officials.
The former premier arrived at the Kuala Lumpur High Court dressed in
a dark blue suit and navy tie and was immediately swarmed by the
press and his supporters.
He appeared to address the crowd for several minutes, before making
his way into the courtroom, escorted by an entourage of policemen.
The trial, which begins on the 10th anniversary of Najib's swearing
in as prime minister in 2009, has been beset by multiple delays as
his defence lawyers sought to put a stay on the trial proceedings.
During his tenure as prime minister and finance minister, Najib
oversaw the 1MDB fund, which existed from 2009 until 2016, when it
was found to be drowning in around 16 billion dollars' worth of debt.
Widespread anger over the perceived mishandling of public funds led
to a surprise victory by the Mahathir Mohamad-led Pakatan Harapan
opposition party in the 2018 general elections, toppling Najib from
power and ending his party's 61-year political grip on power.
Najib, alongside his wife Rosmah Mansor, fugitive financier Low Taek
Jho and several of Najib's officials and aides, have been implicated
in the investigation.
Raids at residences linked to Najib in the months following the
election yielded nearly 300 million dollars worth of handbags,
watches, jewellery and other luxury goods, which had been allegedly
purchased with money from 1MDB.
Since then, a total of 42 charges have been levelled against Najib.
He has, however, consistently denied any wrongdoing, claiming that
the charges against him are politically motivated.