Najib Razak, Malaysia's former prime minister, center left, arrives at the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Wednesday, July 4, 2018. Najib has plead not guilty to charges of corruption and criminal breach of trust in connection with a multibillion-dollar scandal surrounding state fund 1MDB. Samsul Said / Bloomberg
Najib Razak, Malaysia's former prime minister, center left, arrives at the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Wednesday, July 4, 2018. Najib has plead not guilty to charges of corruption and criminal breach of trust in connection with a multibillion-dollar scandal surrounding state fund 1MDB. Samsul Said / Bloomberg
Najib Razak, Malaysia's former prime minister, center left, arrives at the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Wednesday, July 4, 2018. Najib has plead not guilty to charges of corruption and criminal breach of trust in connection with a multibillion-dollar scandal surrounding state fund 1MDB. Samsul Said / Bloomberg
Najib Razak, Malaysia's former prime minister, center left, arrives at the Kuala Lumpur Courts Complex in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Wednesday, July 4, 2018. Najib has plead not guilty to charges of c

Former Malaysia PM Najib Razak pleads not guilty to charges in 1MDB graft probe


  • English
  • Arabic

Malaysia's former prime minister, Najib Razak, on Wednesday pleaded not guilty to abuse of power and other charges arising from an investigation into a scandal-plagued state fund, weeks after he was ousted in a stunning election defeat.

Mr Najib, 64, who has denied wrongdoing in relation to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund he founded, was charged with abuse of power and three counts of criminal breach of trust as part of an investigation into a transaction involving its former unit SRC International.

The charges relate to some 42 million ringgit ($10.4 million) of funds that allegedly went from SRC into Mr Najib's personal bank account. This represents a small fraction of the billions of dollars the US Department of Justice has said was misappropriated from 1MDB.

Malaysia's attorney general said he expected more reports from the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) investigating wrongdoing at the fund.

"This is arising from the first MACC IP (investigation papers) given to my office three weeks ago. No doubt there will be more," Tommy Thomas, who is leading the case against Najib, told reporters outside the court.

In a pre-recorded message posted on Twitter after his arrest, Mr Najib said he was not perfect and "not all the accusations against me and my family are true.

"Let investigations be carried out. I have not had a chance to defend myself," he said.

Each of the four charges against Najib carries a prison term of up to 20 years. The abuse of power charge carries a fine of not less than five times the "value of gratification".

Najib was granted bail of 1 million ringgit ($247,000) and was ordered to surrender his passports. The judge set a tentative date for the trial to begin of Feb. 18, 2019.

The son of a former prime minister, Najib joined parliament at the age of 23 and rose through the ranks to take the top job in 2009. But his second term in office from 2013 was plagued by allegations around 1MDB, prompting a stunning fall from grace that culminated in his arrest on Tuesday.

____________

Read more:

Treasure trove worth $273 million seized from ex-Malaysia PM

Former Malaysian leader Najib Razak arrested by anti-graft officials over 1MDB scandal

____________

Mahathir Mohamad, who helped Mr Najib's political ascent before turning on him as the allegations surfaced, led a campaign that unseated Mr Najib in a May 9 election and ousted a coalition that had ruled since Malaysia's independence from Britain in 1957.

One of Mr Mahathir's first acts was to reopen the 1MDB investigation.

After spending the night in detention, Mr Najib arrived at the court in the capital Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday wearing a dark blue suit and a red tie.

Crowds of media and onlookers jostled to catch a glance of the former premier. Some supporters of Mr Najib's UMNO party chanted and held up placards in support of him.

Soon after coming into power in 2009, Mr Najib founded 1MDB. The fund is being investigated in at least six countries on suspicion of money laundering.

SRC, created in 2011 by Najib's government to pursue overseas investment in energy resources, was a unit of 1MDB until it was moved to the finance ministry in 2012.

SRC has been the initial focus of Malaysian investigators as all the suspicious transactions involving the firm were made through Malaysian entities, unlike other 1MDB related transactions that went through foreign banks and companies.

A spokesman for Mr Najib said on Tuesday that the SRC charges and the 1MDB investigations were "politically motivated", and Najib will contest the charges and clear his name in court.

Mr Mahathir told Reuters last month that embezzlement and bribery using government money were among the charges being considered against Mr Najib, adding that his former protege was fully responsible for the 1MDB scandal.

Since his election loss, Mr Najib has been barred from leaving the country and investigators have seized luxury handbags, jewellery and other items worth millions of dollars from properties linked to his family.

The specs: 2018 Maxus T60

Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000

Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder

Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm

Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm

Transmission: Five-speed manual

Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km

What is Folia?

Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.

Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."

Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.

In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love". 

There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.

While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."

TOP%2010%20MOST%20POLLUTED%20CITIES
%3Cp%3E1.%20Bhiwadi%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Ghaziabad%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E3.%20Hotan%2C%20China%0D%3Cbr%3E4.%20Delhi%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E5.%20Jaunpur%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E6.%20Faisalabad%2C%20Pakistan%0D%3Cbr%3E7.%20Noida%2C%20India%0D%3Cbr%3E8.%20Bahawalpur%2C%20Pakistan%0D%3Cbr%3E9.%20Peshawar%2C%20Pakistan%0D%3Cbr%3E10.%20Bagpat%2C%20India%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%20IQAir%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A