1MDB: Charges against Najib valid - Judge

KUALA LUMPUR – The High Court, here, found that the four charges against Datuk Seri Najib Razak for using his position to obtain RM2.3 billion in bribes from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds and 21 money laundering charges involving the same amount are not defective.

Trial judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah (now Court of Appeal judge) said this while reading his judgement during the proceedings that started at about 9.24am, today.

He said the charges against the former prime minister were valid, not confusing, ambiguous or prejudicial.

Sequearah also said the court found that there was no clear motive for the main prosecution witness to testify against Najib in the sovereign wealth fund's financial scandal.

The main witnesses included former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz (46th prosecution witness), former 1MDB lawyer Jasmine Loo Ai Swan (50th) and former 1MDB chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi (ninth).

Sequerah said Loo and another witness admitted to receiving funds from fugitive financier Low Taek Jho or better known as Jho Low, while Shahrol received salary and bonuses.

He said while Zeti and her family members were linked to the case, these witnesses did not face legal repercussions that could jeopardise the case.

At this time, the judge is still reading out the findings of the case and has not yet delivered a verdict on whether Najib should enter his defence in the case of be acquitted of the charges.

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