A MALAYSIAN court has ordered former Prime Minister Najib Razak to present his defense against seven counts of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power in a case linked to a scandal surrounding state fund 1MDB.

Najib has pleaded not guilty to three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money laundering and one count of abuse of power for allegedly receiving illegal transfers of 42 million ringgit (US$10.14 million) from SRC International, a former 1MDB unit. Najib said he would testify in his defense. This will enable prosecutors to cross-examine him for the first time.

“SRC has been wrongfully deprived of the 42 million,” Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Mohamad Nazlan Mohamad Ghazali said in his ruling. “As such, I now call upon the accused to enter his defense on all seven charges.”

Prosecutors wrapped up their SRC case against Najib after receiving testimony from 57 witnesses. In his closing statement, Attorney-General Tommy Thomas said Najib had orchestrated graft at 1MDB “like an emperor.”

It is also a huge win for the ruling Malaysian Government, which won in a landslide election in 2018, with current Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad promising to investigate 1MDB, and arrest “Malaysia Official 1,” the alleged official that received some of the stolen money who was later confirmed to be Najib.

The ruling also comes at a time when economic pressures are weighing on people’s minds, and casting doubts over the current government’s ability to fulfill its election promises.

Najib, who lost a general election last year, still faces dozens of criminal charges over accusations that US$4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB, which he co-founded in 2009.

The amounts involved in Najib’s first trial are small, however, compared to those in his second and most significant one, which centers on allegations he illicitly obtained over US$500 million from 1MDB.

The money was allegedly used to fuel a worldwide spending spree by Najib and his inner circle with looted cash spent on items ranging from a super-yacht to high-end real estate.

Following the election, police discovered valuables, including cash, jewelry and luxury handbags worth up to US$273 million in properties linked to Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor.

(SD-Agencies)