Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak has pleaded not guilty to four charges levelled against him in court on Wednesday (July 4). 

He faces three counts of criminal breach of trust and one count of abuse of power - in connection with the 1MDB scandal that led to his political downfall. His seven-man defence team is led by senior lawyer  Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.

Bail was set at RM1 million (S$337,000) and Najib was asked to surrender his two diplomatic passports to the court.

The charges carry sentences of no less than two and up to 20 years with possible caning and fines. Under Malaysian law however, men aged 50 years old and above are exempt from caning. Najib will turn 65 later this month.

Newly-appointed Attorney-General Tommy Thomas leads the 12-strong prosecution team. He did not oppose bail for Najib, and requested it be set at RM4 million (S$1.3 million) in a cash bond with two sureties. He also asked for Najib's passport to be surrendered to the court.

Najib’s lawyer Mr Muhammad Shafee asked for the bond to be reduced, taking into account the service his client has rendered to the public.

On the defence team’s request, Judge Mohamad Sofian Abdul Razak agreed to issue an interim court order barring discussions on the merits of the case outside the court, especially in the media.

Source: www.straitstimes.com

BDST: 1357 HRS, JUL 04, 2018
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