Former Malaysian PM's graft trial postponed

The corruption trial of the former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak over charges related to a multibillion-dollar scandal at the state fund 1MDB has been postponed, in a blow to efforts to bring the disgraced politician to justice. According to a report in The Guardian, he had been due to go on trial this week for the first time over allegations linked to his involvement in the looting of the 1MDB fund, in which more than $4.5bn of state money was embezzled and spent lavishly in Malaysia and around the world on everything from Manhattan real estate and diamonds to Pablo Picasso paintings and Hollywood films. Najib, who is the first former Malaysian Prime Minister to be charged with crimes carried out while in office, is accused of receiving almost one-quarter of 1MDB’s funds into his personal bank accounts. Since he lost power in May, Najib has been arrested four times and faces 42 charges of corruption, money laundering and abuse of power. He denies all the charges. The trial, which was the source of great anticipation in Malaysia, was to be the first of a likely three 1MDB trials he will face. However, this week, Najib’s team of eight lawyers filed an application for the trial to be delayed, pending an appeal on a technical matter, and the Court of Appeal agreed unanimously to postpone. No new date for the trial has been set, but the prosecution team said it was likely to be a delay of one or two weeks.

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