Najib granted RM3.5mil bail after being slapped with 25 new charges

KUALA LUMPUR: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak was granted bail of RM3.5mil with two sureties in his latest court case after he was slapped with 25 graft and money laundering charges involving RM2.3bil. 

Najib's lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah asked that the defence be allowed to stagger the payment of bail with RM1mil to be paid on Friday (Sept 21) and another RM500,000 next week. 

"Our bank downstairs (in court) takes half a day to count RM500,000, unlike our Indian money changers," he said on Thursday (Sept 20). 

Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi allowed the bail payments be made over a period, as long as it was settled by Sept 28. 

Earlier, Najib, 64, pleaded not guilty to four graft charges read before Sessions Court judge Azura Alwi on Thursday (Sept 20). 

He also claimed trial to 21 charges under the Anti-Money Laundering Act, Anti-Terrorism Financing Act and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act (Amla) 2001. 

According to the charge sheet, the offences occurred at the AmIslamic Bank Berhad branch on Jalan Raja Chulan here while in his position as a civil servant, that is the then prime minster, finance minister and the adviser emeritus of 1MDB. 

Previously Najib was charged with receiving RM42mil bribe as inducement to come to a decision on behalf of the Malaysian Government to provide a sovereign guarantee for a loan of RM4bil from the KWAP to SRC International Sdn Bhd. 

He also faces three other charges of criminal breach of trust in his capacity as then prime minister, finance minister and adviser emeritus of SRC International, in which he was entrusted with RM4bil. 

He is alleged to have misappropriated funds through various banks here on three occasions between Dec 24, 2014 and March 2, 2015, amounting to RM27mil, RM10mil and RM5mil. 

He was later hit with another three counts of money laundering amounting to RM42mil under Section 4(1)(b) of Amla. 

The High Court released Najib on bail of RM1mil with two sureties, and the additional condition that Najib surrender both his normal and diplomatic passports.