1MDB: Court finds Najib guilty on CBT charges

 

The High Court has found former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak guilty on two criminal breach of trust charges linked to the 1MDB embezzled fund.

Presiding judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, in delivering the verdict, said the court found the prosecution had proven its case against Najib beyond a reasonable doubt.

"The prosecution has proven beyond a reasonable doubt its case against the accused in respect of the first charge.

"I therefore convicted the accused under the first charge under Section 23 of the MACC Act," Sequerah said.

Section 23 of the MACC Act deals with the offence of using one's office or position for gratification (abuse of power). 

In the court’s verdict for Najib’s fourth power abuse charge, Sequerah also dismissed Najib’s claim that he was neither aware that Low had been giving instructions to 1MDB senior management members nor was it brought to his attention.

The judge said what Low did could only be “the work of a madman” who was so emboldened to interact with 1MDB managers because “he had the sanction and backing of the most powerful man in the country at the time”.

Sequerah said the absence of a police report by the accused against Low, denying that he had given such instructions, spoke “loud and clear” that the businessperson was not operating independently or in cahoots with the management to defraud Najib, “who at the time was the most powerful man in the country”. - Mkini

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