Image: Reuters Berita 24 English - On Monday, Najib Raza k, the former prime minister of Malaysia, starts his last attempt to overturn his ...
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| Image: Reuters |
Berita 24 English - On Monday, Najib Razak, the former prime minister of Malaysia, starts his last attempt to overturn his conviction in a corruption case related to the multi-billion dollar 1MDB financial scandal.
Najib's appeal of his convictions for criminal breach of trust, abuse of power, and money laundering over the alleged theft of $4.5 billion from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state fund he co-founded as premier in 2009, will be heard by the country's highest court until August 26.
At least six countries are looking into 1MDB, a global scandal in which high-ranking officials and big financial institutions are involved.
Prosecutors say that more than a billion dollars from 1MDB ended up in Najib's personal bank accounts.
Najib, who is 69 years old and has pleaded not guilty to dozens of charges, will spend 12 years in prison and pay a $50 million fine for illegally getting about $10 million from SRC International, a former 1MDB unit, in the first of several trials in July 2020.
A court of appeals agreed with the conviction last year.
Najib is also appealing that verdict, and documents filed before Monday's hearing show that he is also asking the Federal Court to throw out the trial because the trial judge had a conflict of interest.
Najib was voted out of office in 2018, but he has been free on bail while the appeal is being heard. A prosecutor said that if the verdict stands, he would likely start serving his sentence right away. The Federal Court's decisions can be looked at again under Malaysian law, but this rarely works.
The request comes before national elections, which should be held before September 2023.
Najib could make a comeback in politics if he is found not guilty. He told Reuters last year that he had not ruled out running for parliament again.
Najib is still well-known and an active lawmaker, but he can't run for office until his conviction is overturned or he gets a royal pardon.
