Malaysia's former leader Najib in the dock as graft trial begins
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Ten years to the day after he was sworn in, disgraced former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak stood trial on Wednesday for corruption charges linked to a multibillion-dollar scandal that brought down his government.
Najib, wearing a dark blue suit and a matching tie, smiled as he got out of his car in front of the Kuala Lumpur high court.
Surrounded by dozens of journalists and a handful supporters, he offered prayers before entering the courthouse.
A few minutes later, the former premier was sitting in the dock.
Najib faces seven charges in the first of several criminal proceedings he is due to face over suspected money laundering of $4.5 billion from state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
The trial relates to suspected transfers totaling 42 million ringgit ($10.3 million) into Najib’s bank account from SRC International, a former 1MDB unit.
Najib has pleaded not guilty to three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money laundering and one count of abuse of power over the transfers, which involve a fraction of the $1 billion investigators allege made its way into his accounts.
Najib has consistently denied wrongdoing and says the charges against him are politically motivated.
The trial was originally set to begin on Feb. 12, but was delayed pending appeals by Najib’s lawyers. On Monday, they asked the highest court to review its decision to lift the stay on the trial, media reported.
The review will be heard on Thursday by the Federal Court.
The trial begins nearly a year after Malaysians voted Najib out of office in a general election, marked by public disgust over corruption and rising living costs, that surprisingly brought Mahathir Mohamad, 93, back to power.
Since losing the election, Najib has been slapped with a total of 42 criminal charges, most of them linked to 1MDB and other state entities. Nearly $300 million worth of goods and cash were found at properties linked to Najib after the election.
At least six countries, including the United States, Switzerland and Singapore, have launched money laundering and graft probes into 1MDB, set up by Najib in 2009.
As the trial date neared, Najib, Malaysia’s sixth prime minister, sought a radical change of image, painting himself as a victim of a vindictive government and trying to shed the image of a wealthy, elite politician.
Reporting by Joseph Sipalan and Liz Lee; Aditional reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Writing by A. Ananthalakshmi; Editing by Nick Macfie and Darren Schuettler
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