Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been arrested a third time in connection with the scandal-plagued 1MDB state investment fund.
The government’s anti-corruption agency charged Najib Wednesday over allegations that he siphoned $627 million from 1MDB into his personal bank account. The agency said the former prime minister will appear in court Thursday to face several charges under a section of Malaysia’s anti-corruption law that deals with abuse of power. He has previously said the money was a donation from the Saudi royal family.
Najib is already facing multiple counts of criminal breach of trust, corruption and money laundering involving claims that he transferred about $10 million of funds from a subsidiary of 1MDB into his bank accounts. He has pleaded not guilty to all of the charges.
Outrage over the scandal led to the shocking electoral defeat back in May of Najib and his National Front coalition, which had ruled Malaysia uninterrupted since gaining independence from Britain in 1957. | voanews
