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Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, in the center, arrives at a courthouse in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Wednesday, July 4, 2018. Najib arrived at the Kuala Lumpur Courthouse to respond to charges of corruption, two months after his shock election defeat. (Vincent Thian / Associated Press)
He pleaded not guilty to all charges. "I claim the lawsuit," he said in a barely audible voice as he stood on the dock in Kuala Lumpur High Court. A judge gave a bail of 1 million ringgit in cash ($ 250,000) and ordered Najib to return his two diplomatic passports.
Najib, a patrician and luxury lover, dressed in a suit and a red tie, looked calm and smiling. in the judicial complex. He was arrested Tuesday by anti-corruption agents following a suspicious transfer of 42 million ringgits ($ 10.4 million) into his bank accounts of SRC International, a former unit of the 1MDB investment fund that was looted by Najib associates.
Najib was accused of abuse of power leading to gratification under Malaysia's anti-corruption law and three counts of breach of trust. Each charge is punishable by up to 20 years in prison. The whiplash is also a penalty, but Najib would be exempted because of his age.
The wrath of the 1MDB saga led to the shocking defeat of the Najib coalition in the May 9 elections and ushered in the first change of power since independence. in 1957.
The new Attorney General of Malaysia, Tommy Thomas, who leads the prosecution, said the case of 1MBD had attracted worldwide attention and "shame on the country". Najib's lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, protested Najib, 64, accused the new Malaysian government of seeking "political revenge".
At a press conference after the hearing, Najib said that a trial was "the best chance for me name after all the slander and accusations." He should start on the 8th February, subject to confirmation at a preliminary hearing next month.
New Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad reopened investigations on 1MDB Najib created 1MDB when he took power in 2009, but the fund has accumulated billions of debt and is under investigation in the United States and several other countries.
He and his wife were interviewed last month. The Attorney General said the $ 10 million Najib would have received via SRC was a bribe to approve government loan guarantees totaling RMB 4 billion (nearly $ 1 billion). In 1965 and 2012, the police also seized jewels and valuables worth more than 1.1 billion ringgit ($ 272 million) from properties related to Najib
. Investigators say $ 4.5 billion was stolen and laundered from $ 1M by Najib's partners, including some $ 700 million that landed in Najib's bank account. While he was in power, Najib said the $ 700 million was a gift from the Saudi royal family.
Najib's lawyer, Muhammad, requested that the case be dealt with promptly.
Najib "wants to clarify his name". Bridget Welsh, a Southeast Asian specialist at John Cabot University in Rome, said the arrest of Najib was "inevitable outcome" after his loss of power [19659015]. the new government to remedy past abuses of power. It has been done wisely until now and speaks of a computation necessary for Malaysia and a key step towards cleaner governance, "she said in an email.
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