Former Malaysian PM Najib to appear in court for 1MDB trial

Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Najib Razak will appear in court on Monday to face the biggest of five trials linked to the scandal at the state-owned firm 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), according to his lawyer.

His lawyers have sought to delay the 1MDB trial to allow time for another trial, the SRC case, currently being heard in a High Court to be completed first.

Lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah confirmed to Al Jazeera that Najib would appear in court on Monday for the 1MDB trial as well as the first trial, commonly known as SRC International – a unit of 1MDB.

The SRC trial, which began in April, was adjourned on August 14 after Najib contracted an eye infection, halting the cross-examination of the prosecution’s final witness. It will resume on Monday, the same day as the start of the 1MDB trial.

1MDB has spawned investigations in at least six countries, including the United States where the Department of Justice alleged $4.5bn were misappropriated from the fund.

Najib is facing a total of 42 criminal charges of corruption and money-laundering at 1MDB and other state-owned entities.

He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

In Monday’s highly-anticipated trial, Najib will face four charges of having used his position to illegally obtain some $550m from 1MDB funds and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same money.

Sensational allegations

On Friday, prosecutors handed to the defence thousands of pages of documents related to the case, government lawyer Ahmad Akram Gharib told Reuters news agency.

“Under the rules, a trial can only begin at least two weeks after all the related documents are handed over,” Ahmad was quoted as saying by Reuters, adding that about 60 witnesses were expected to be called in the second case.

Najib’s lawyers say he had no knowledge of the transfers into his accounts and was misled by Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho and SRC’s former chief executive, Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil, who are at large, according to Reuters.

Low, who faces charges in the US and Malaysia over his alleged central role in the 1MDB case, has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The SRC trial

In the SRC trial, Najib faces three counts of criminal breach of trust, one count of abusing his position and three counts of money laundering involving SRC International funds amounting to RM42 million ($10m).

Najib is alleged to have siphoned an estimated $10m from SRC International into his personal bank accounts.

During the trial, the court heard of a multimillion-ringgit shopping spree for luxury items, which the prosecution alleged were paid for with money from SRC International.

According to a senior Ambank vice president Yeoh Eng Leong, Najib spent RM3.3 million ($792,000) in one day during a shopping spree at a Swiss luxury jeweller, in Italy on August 8, 2014, using two credit cards.

In early January 2015, another $111,653 was spent an exclusive boutique in Honolulu, Hawaii.

That same month, $30,411 was spent at a luxury hotel in the Thai capital of Bangkok.

The court also heard how a former AmBank relationship manager, Joanna Yu, once advanced an estimated $13,168 of her own money when one of Najib’s current accounts was in deficit.

There were also sensational allegations from former Finance Minister II Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah, who claimed Najib was behind sexual harassment charges against him after he raised questions regarding 1MDB in Parliament.

Husni also claimed his son was unjustly terminated from his job and lost out on being part of a lucrative road contract the company bid on after his firing.

According to reports, the hearing on the SRC could wrap up as early as on Monday.

With additional reporting from Amy Chew in Kuala Lumpur.