One down, four more court cases still pending for Najib

PETALING JAYA • Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak, now in jail for misappropriating millions of dollars from a company linked to state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), has four more pending court cases.

Najib, 69, is facing another trial involving SRC International, a firm that was a subsidiary of 1MDB. He is charged with three counts of money laundering totalling RM27 million (S$8.4 million), and is alleged to have received the money at AmIslamic Bank's Kuala Lumpur branch on July 8, 2014.

Najib's second case involves four charges of using his position to obtain bribes totalling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds, as well as 21 charges of money laundering involving the same amount.

For his third pending case, Najib and a former Treasury official, Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, are facing joint charges of six criminal breaches of trust involving RM6.64 billion of government funds in their capacity as finance minister and Treasury secretary-general, respectively.

All the offences were allegedly committed at the Finance Ministry Complex in the federal government's administrative city of Putrajaya between Dec 21, 2016, and Dec 18, 2017. The duo face up to 20 years' jail and caning, as well as a fine, if convicted.

Finally, there is the 1MDB audit report tampering case where Najib is charged with abuse of power. Former 1MDB chief executive Arul Kanda Kandasamy is charged with abetting him.

Najib is said to have used his position to order amendments to the 1MDB final audit report before it was presented to the Public Accounts Committee, to avoid any action being taken against him.

The offence was allegedly committed at the Prime Minister's Department Complex in Putrajaya between Feb 22 and 26 in 2016.

Both men face a jail term of up to 20 years and a fine of no less than five times the amount of gratification, or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if they are convicted.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK