Najib arrives in court for 1MDB audit tampering trial

KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Najib Razak is now at the Kuala Lumpur High Court here for his 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) audit tampering trial.

The 69-year-old former premier arrived at the court complex at 8.48am on Friday (Aug 26) in a black SUV escorted by several police and Prisons Department vehicles.

His wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, was also present at the court complex, where media practitioners from various agencies had gathered since 8am.

Najib is charged with using his position to order amendments to the 1MDB final audit report before it was presented to the Public Accounts Committee to avoid any action being taken against him.

Meanwhile, 1MDB’s former chief executive officer Arul Kanda Kandasamy, 45, is charged with abetting Najib in making the amendments to the report to protect the Pekan MP from being subjected to action.

Two prosecution witnesses are expected to testify at today’s proceedings, namely Arul Kanda and Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission Investigation Branch Senior Superintendent Haniff Lami.

On Tuesday (Aug 23), Najib was sent to Kajang prison after the Apex Court upheld the 12 years’ jail sentence and RM210mil fine on him for misappropriating RM42mil of SRC International funds.

Yesterday, the former prime minister was present at the court to attend his 1MDB trial proceedings before High Court Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah. - Bernama