Former Malaysian PM charged with money laundering
Bangkok, Aug 8: Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was on Wednesday charged in a Kuala Lumpur court on three new counts related to a corruption scandal linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad state fund.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him, Efe news reported.
Razak was charged under a money laundering act with three counts of receiving a total of RM42 million ($10.3 million) from unlawful activities into two bank accounts from SRC International, a 1MDB subsidiary, Malaysian state news agency Bernama reported.
He allegedly received transfers of RM27 million, RM10 million and RM5 million between December 26, 2014 and February 10, 2015.
The indictments carry a maximum penalty of 15 years in jail per charge and a possible fine of five times the amount of money allegedly received illegally.
The charges were added to an earlier four - three counts of criminal breach of trust and one count of abuse of power - imposed in July on Najib, who founded and chaired 1MDB after becoming prime minister in 2009.
Each of these earlier charges, allegedly committed between 2011 and 2015, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. Razak also pleaded not guilty to those first four charges before being released on bail.
Razak's fall from grace came after losing the May 9 elections to his former mentor Mahathir Mohamad in a historic victory against Barisan Nasional (National Front) which has ruled uninterrupted from 1974.
The government currently headed by 92-year-old Mahathir has reopened and expedited cases against Najib, including those surrounding the 1MDB scandal.
A media investigation reported in 2015 the transfer of $681 million from 1MDB to Najib's private accounts. He has denied any illegal activity.
In addition to Malaysia, the United States, Switzerland and Singapore are among half a dozen countries investigating the alleged embezzlement.
The US Department of Justice estimates the money diverted from 1MDB to be $4.5 billion, of which about $1 billion may have been laundered in the US through the purchase of real estate, yachts, jewellery and works of art, among others.
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HC Judge’s controversial “women of Surapura go to the leader on first night,” remark sparks row
Bengaluru: A controversial statement made by Karnataka High Court Judge, Justice V. Srishananda during judicial proceedings has gone viral across social media platforms. The Judge’s remarks have sparked widespread outrage from different quarters.
In the purported video doing rounds on social media, the judge allegedly stated that, "Anyone can get married. However, the practice of staying with the leader only on the first night still exists in Surapura taluk of Yadgir district, they are then second hand."
The Maharishi Valmiki Nayaka Sangha and the Union of Mass Organizations called for a bandh on January 13 to express their disapproval. A formal petition demanding action against the judge has been submitted to the President, the Chief Justice of India, and the Karnataka Governor through the Yadgir Deputy Commissioner.
This is not the first time the judge has sparked controversy with his remarks. In September 2024, Justice V. Srishananda referred to Goripalya in Bengaluru as ‘Pakistan.’ He had allegedly stated, “The police are afraid to take action against the criminals of Goripalya in Bengaluru, because it is in Pakistan.”
In addition, another video of the judge allegedly speaking in an indecent manner with a woman lawyer had also gone viral, prompting a suo-motu cognizance by the Supreme Court. The apex court had directed the Karnataka High Court Registrar to submit a report within two weeks, after which Justice Srishananda reportedly expressed regret for his remarks.
Is this man fit to b a judge ? He claims , falsely , that all women of a particular village go to the leader on getting married on” fist night” they are then “ second hand” The same judge who apologised to the SC for his obscene and anti secular comments i @TheLeaflet_in pic.twitter.com/hRQ86YA0WZ
— Indira Jaising (@IJaising) January 15, 2025
