A court in Malaysia’s Capital Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday charged former Prime Minister Najib Razak with corruption-related offences in connection with his alleged involvement in a multibillion-dollar scandal. Razak was charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust and one count of corruption, The Guardian reported. He pleaded not guilty.
Razak, who was arrested on Tuesday, had resisted demands to step down in 2015 despite reports of financial mismanagement at the government-owned company 1Malaysia Development Berhad, and allegations that he received $681 million (Rs 4,425 crore) in his personal bank account. After he lost the elections to his former mentor Mahathir Mohamad on May 9, Razak was barred from leaving the country and the case was reopened.
On Wednesday, Malaysia Attorney General Tommy Thomas, who is leading the prosecution, argued before the High Court that bail, if granted to Razak, should be set at RM 1 million (Rs 1.69 crore), The Star Online reported. However, Razak’s attorney Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said the proposed amount was too high, and claimed that his client has an “unblemished record”.
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