Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak yesterday pleaded not guilty to three new money-laundering charges related to the alleged multibillion-US-dollar looting of a state investment fund that led to his electoral defeat three months ago.
Najib spoke softly as he entered his plea in the High Court.
He has previously accused Malaysia’s new government of seeking political vengeance and vowed to clear his name in his trial.
Najib, 65, last month plead not guilty to abuse of power and three counts of criminal breach of trust.
All of the charges against him involve the transfer of 42 million ringgit (US$10.31 million) into his bank accounts from SRC International, a former unit of the 1 Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) fund that international investigators say was looted of billions by Najib’s associates.
Abuse of power and breach of trust carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each charge. Each money-laundering count carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and a fine of not less than five times the sum laundered.
Najib set up 1MDB when he took power in 2009 for the stated purpose of promoting economic development, but the fund amassed billions in debt and is being investigated in the US and several other nations for alleged cross-border embezzlement and money laundering.
After leaked documents exposed the scandal, Najib sacked critics in his government, muzzled the media and quashed investigations. Public anger led to the defeat of Najib’s long-ruling coalition in the May 9 elections and ushered in the first change of power since Malaysia gained independence from Britain in 1957.
The new government reopened the investigations stifled under Najib’s rule and barred him and his wife from leaving the country.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese