World News | Malaysian Ex-PM Najib Convicted of 7 Graft Charges over 1MDB

Kuala Lumpur, Jul 28 (AP) A Malaysian court pronounced former Prime Minister Najib Razak guilty in his first corruption trial over the multibillion-dollar looting of the 1MDB investment fund.

The ruling came five months after a new government took power with Najib's Malay party the biggest bloc in the alliance. His party's shocking election ouster in 2018 was driven by public anger over the 1MDB scandal.

Also Read | 2 Dead in Bihar After Pick-up Van Runs Over Flood-Affected People Who Had Taken Refuge at NH 527B in Darbhanga: Live News Breaking And Coronavirus Updates on July 28, 2020.

“I find the accused guilty and convict the accused of all seven charges,” Judge Mohamad Nazlan Ghazali said after spending two hours to read out his ruling.

Najib has promised to appeal. He has said he was misled by rogue bankers and the case against him is political.

Also Read | Kolhapur District Administration Registers FIR Against Six COVID-19 Patients for Playing Football Without Face Masks Inside Isolation Centre: Live News Breaking And Coronavirus Updates on July 27, 2020.

Analysts said the ruling would bolster the prosecution's case in Najib's other trials. He faces 42 charges in five separate trials and could face years in prison.

The current trial involved a charge of abuse of power, three charges of criminal breach of trust and three money laundering charges.

The judge said Najib had failed to raise reasonable doubt and that prosecutors had established beyond reasonable doubt that Najib misappropriated the money for his own use. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)