Najib to begin defence in graft cases, argue for house arrest

Malaysia's jailed ex-leader Najib Razak will begin his defence this week against graft charges tied to more than US$500 million (S$669 million) in alleged bribes, and argue to serve the rest of his sentence under house arrest.

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KUALA LUMPUR -

The former prime minister, who is already serving a six-year jail term for corruption related to the plunder of sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, faces several other cases linked to the financial scandal that led to his defeat in the 2018 elections.

At the High Court on Dec 2, the 71-year-old will start his defence against four counts of abuse of power linked to RM2.27 billion (S$683 million) in alleged bribes and 21 counts of money laundering.

The case involves Tanore Finance Corp, which the US authorities have said was used to siphon money from 1MDB.

Najib issued an apology in October that the 1MDB scandal happened during his tenure, but maintained he had no knowledge of illegal transfers from the now-defunct state fund.

If convicted, he faces hefty fines and sentences of up to 20 years on each count of abuse of power.

Najib's lead lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah has said they were "more determined" than ever to fight the case.