Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (2nd L) is seen at a court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Aug. 28, 2019. A Malaysian court started hearings Wednesday on the corruption charges on former Prime Minister Najib Razak in relation to state investment fund 1Malaysian Development Berhad (1MDB). (Photo by Chong Voon Chung/Xinhua)
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A Malaysian court started hearings Wednesday on the corruption charges on former Prime Minister Najib Razak in relation to state investment fund 1Malaysian Development Berhad (1MDB).
The 1MDB matter involves the largest set of charges against Najib, with the 25 counts including almost 2.3 billion ringgit (550 million U.S. dollars) donation he claimed to have received.
Four charges are for abusing his position to obtain money from 1MDB while the remaining 21 charges are for money laundering via receiving, spending and returning the donation which Najib claimed he had received from a Middle East donor.
In his opening statement, lead prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram said the prosecution would work to prove that Najib had engaged in an elaborate charade to enrich himself and had actively sought to evade detection.
He also said Najib had worked closely with Malaysian businessman Low Taek Jho or Jho Low in committing his criminal acts.
"An elaborate charade was employed. It was acted out in four phases in which several characters played a part. But it was the accused who played the pivotal role. His objective was to enrich himself," he said.
"The prosecution will also produce evidence to show that the accused took active steps to evade justice. He interfered with the course of investigation of this case which has come to be known as the 1MDB scandal. He took active steps to effect a cover up of his criminal acts," he said.
The prosecution then proceeded to examine three witnesses, two from the prime minister's office including a senior division secretary and a finance department accountant and one former director of a company that had provided digital communication services for the office.
Responding to the opening statement after the proceedings, Najib's counsel Muhammad Shafee Abdullah challenged the prosecution to prove its assertion that documents had been forged concerning the donation in an attempt to prove it had originated from the Middle East donor and that Najib had worked with Low.
"I would like them to prove that. I would like them to prove that as you can see from the SRC trial, there is a great deal of struggle by the prosecution to even link us with Jho Low," he said, referring to another trial on Najib involving 1MDB subsidiary, SRC International.
The case involves 42 million ringgit (10.3 million U.S. dollars) deposited into Najib's personal bank account from SRC International, in which Najib faces seven charges including criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power.
The judge has set the date of Nov. 11 for the decision on whether Najib would be called to enter his defense or be acquitted.
Najib has been slapped with dozens of other charges for corruption, money laundering, power abuse and criminal breach of trust involving billions of ringgit since his ruling coalition lost power during the national elections last year in May.
Najib's wife Rosmah Mansor and stepson Riza Shahriz Abdul Aziz are also facing corruption and money laundering charges, with all of them pleading not guilty.
