Ex-PM Najib hit with 25 new charges over 1MDB scandal

kuala lumpur — Malaysia’s former leader Najib Razak was hit with 25 new charges of money laundering and abuse of power linked to the 1MDB mega-scandal, including allegations that hundreds of millions of dollars were transferred to his personal bank account.

Najib pleaded not guilty to all the charges during a court appearance in Kuala Lumpur. Since his shock election defeat in May, he has now been charged with a total of 32 counts related to state fund 1MDB, which he and his cronies allegedly looted.

He faced four abuse of power and 21 money-laundering charges, in what observers said represented the most serious allegations he has yet faced. He was accused of receiving illegal transfers to his own accounts from the fund totalling nearly 2.3 billion ringgit ($555 million). The suspicious transfers were a key chapter in the scandal, and Najib had previously insisted they were a donation from Saudi royalty. —