NAJIB Razak has been slapped with three more charges in relation to SRC International, with the prosecution now alleging that he stole RM89 million from the 1Malaysia Development Bhd subsidiary instead of RM42 million.

“There are three fresh charges against Datuk Seri Najib,” Najib’s lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, told The Malaysian Insight.

Shafee confirmed the charges were related to earlier money laundering charges preferred against Najib.

Najib is charged with three counts under Section 4(1) of Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act (AMLATFA) 2001.

He is charged with receiving, via three transactions, proceeds of unlawful activities amounting to RM47 million on July 8, 2014, through his bank account at AmIslamic Bank Bhd.

The three transactions were for RM10 million, another RM10 million and one transaction of RM27 million.

If found guilty, Najib can be fined RM5 million or face a maximum jail term of five years or both.

The charges were read to Najib before High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali at the Kuala Lumpur High Court this afternoon.

Deputy public prosecutor Hanapiah Zakaria led a team of five lawyers.  

Nazlan set February 2 to decide whether the charges will be merged into a joint trial.

It is learned that Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission officers met Najib late last night and early this morning at his private residence, and following that he was brought to the court today at 2.30pm.

Shafee said several of Najib’s charges have been previously amended but did not elaborate further.

Najib previously faced seven charges in relation to misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International.

He was charged on July 4 with three counts of criminal breach of trust (CBT) and one charge under the MACC Act. 

On August 8, Najib was slapped with three charges for allegedly receiving the money in tranches of RM27 million, RM5 million and RM10 million, which were said to be banked into his AmBank account between December 2014 and February 2015.

With the latest charges, Najib now faces 10 counts in relation to misappropriating RM89 million from SRC International, said sources from MACC.

This will bring the total criminal charges he faces to 42, which also involves 1MDB and tampering with the auditor-general’s report on the troubled state fund, as well as for criminal breach of trust involving Abu Dhabi’s International Petroleum Investment Company.

The trial related to SRC International is scheduled to start on February 12, but Najib’s lawyers have sought to adjourn the hearing, saying the court needed to first settle three interlocutory matters before trial.

The three matters referred to a criminal appeal in relation to Najib’s gag order application; a criminal appeal in relation to Najib’s application for the discovery of documents and statements; and a criminal appeal in relation to the production of prominent lawyer Sulaiman Abdullah’s letter of appointment to lead the prosecution.

Najib has sought an indefinite postponement of the trial pending the appellate court’s disposal of the appeals.

Shafee said the defence may re-apply for a postponement due to the latest batch of charges. 

The move to seek an adjournment was questioned by prosecutors, who said Najib’s legal team already had at least seven months to prepare the defence. – January 28, 2019.