Malaysia ex-PM, allies charged in new cases
Malaysia's toppled leader, an ex-finance ministry official and a former spy chief were yesterday charged with misusing public funds, the latest corruption cases against figures from the scandal-plagued old regime.
Former prime minister Najib Razak has now been hit with 38 charges since losing power, most related to allegations that he and his cronies plundered vast sums from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.
The scandal played a major part in prompting voters to oust his coalition at elections in May after six decades in power and elect a reformist alliance headed by Mahathir Mohamad.
Najib was jointly charged in a Kuala Lumpur court with Mohamad Irwan Serigar Abdullah -- former treasury secretary-general, a key finance ministry position -- with misusing 6.6 billion ringgit ($1.6 billion) of public money.
They were charged with six counts of criminal breach of trust over offences that allegedly took place between December 2016 and December 2017.
They denied all the charges. Four of those related to 1MDB's dealings with Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund IPIC, the anti-corruption agency said.
The others were over payments related to two Chinese-backed infrastructure projects -- a major rail link and the construction of gas pipelines, Najib's lawyer Shafee Abdullah said.
"My conscience is clear," Najib insisted after being charged.
Hasanah Abdul Hamid, the former head of a shadowy spy agency which worked directly under Najib, was charged with one count of criminal breach of trust. She is accused of pocketing $12.1 million of public money in the run-up to May's election.
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