Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak arrives in court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on July 4, 2018.(Photo: EPA/VNA)Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – The “Free Najib” fund has collected 11,000 ringgit (2,723 USD) since it was launched on July 5 by supporters of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak to raise funds for his bail.
The fundraising aims to help the former PM pay his remaining 500,000-ringgit bail, said the fund’s spokesman Mohd Razlan Muhammad Rafii. Najib already posted 500,000 ringgit on July 4 and he needs another 500,000 ringgit by July 9 to cover the 1-million-ringgit bail.
It is hard for Najib to raise the money for the bail as the bank accounts belonging to him and his family were frozen and all cash in the house were seized, Razlan added.
He noted that the fund will be kept open until 13:00 on July 9.
Najib was arrested on July 3 for corruption-related charges over his involvement in the multi-billion-dollar 1MBD scandal. He was charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust in his former posts as a prime minister and minister of finance, in association with the transfer of 42 million ringgit, or 10 million USD, from SRC International, a subsidiary of the 1MBD, to his personal bank accounts between August 2011 and March 2015.
He also faced one count of corruption.
Each count carries a fine and a sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
He pleaded not guilty to all charges at the court.
Former Malaysian PM Najib Razak founded the 1MDB investment fund in 2009 with the aim of serving Malaysia’s development through global partnerships and foreign direct investment.
However, it became the centre of a money laundering scandal, allegedly causing losses of up to 3.7 billion USD and leading to probes into the financial markets in several countries such as the US, Switzerland, Singapore, Malaysia, and China.
In early May, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission summoned Najib and his wife for investigation. From recent raids on several Najib’s properties in Kuala Lumpur, police also seized a large quantity of valuables worth up to 273 million USD.
His trial is scheduled to begin in February next year. –VNA
VNA
