4 Things You Need to Know about Ex-PM Najib’s Arrest

By Karissa Lund  •  04 Jul 2018 in Features

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Who would’ve thought that this fallen leader would be arrested and brought to court so soon? In the past few years, Malaysians have been outraged by all the corruption scandals that have been bestowed upon us. It’s definitely been one hell of a ride ever since our historical #GE14 that took place last May. But it’s only getting started.

Although this is BIG right now in Malaysia, we totally understand if you can’t keep up with all the latest news and updates. So to make things easier for y’all, here’s what you need to know about the arrest on Datuk Seri Najib Razak and where the case is heading:

1. Najib is the first Malaysian ex-PM to be charged in court

Datuk Seri Najib Razak has officially become the first Malaysian former-prime minister to be charged in a court of law today (4 July) at Kuala Lumpur High Court. He was arrested and charged in connection with a multibillion-dollar financial scandal at the heart of his government. At his residence, Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) officers arrested him and yeap, he did spent the night at a lock-up at MACC headquarters before heading out today.

 

2. He released a 13 Reasons Why-style pre-recorded video after his arrest…

Life really imitates art as Najib started the video by saying, “If you’re listening to this message, it means actions has been taken against me”.  The two-minute or so video posted on all of his social media platforms featured his audio message played against a background of pictures and videos of him. He also stated that the people deserved the best leadership and apologised for his shortcomings.

Najib accepted the loss he suffered (in the 14th General Election) and how this had opened him up to all kinds of allegations “tohmahan yang dahsyat“. Check out the video below:

 

3. He is faced with four charges on the 1MDB Scandal

Today, Najib was charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust under Section 409 of the Penal Code and one count under Section 23 of the MACC Act where he had abused his position as a public officer. These charges are connected to how a total of RM84 million (USD20.7 million) was siphoned from SRC International into Najib’s personal bank account. If he is charged guilty on any one of these matters, he could be jailed for a maximum of 20 years and be fined more than five times the amount of money that was received as bribe. Dang boy!

 

4. Najib’s corruption trial is set for February next year

Although everything is moving fast right now, the corruption trial will only take place next year. The High Court set the trial dates as 18 to 28 Feb, 4 to 8 March, and 11 to 15 March, 2019. In total, the trial will go on for 19 days. Not suprisingly, Najib denied all charges and the court set bail at RM1 million with two sureties. Najib was also ordered to surrender his passport until his trial is concluded.

So that’s that. We definitely need to wait for more info as the case develops, so hang tight and hopefully the truth will bring justice.

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