Former Malaysian PM’s trial to begin in Feb 2019

The criminal and corruption trial of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will begin in February next year, reported the Malaymail news outlet.
Former Malaysian PM’s trial to begin in Feb 2019 ảnh 1Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (centre) is brought to the Kuala Lumpur High Court on July 4 (Photo: EPA/VNA)

Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – Thecriminal and corruption trial of former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razakwill begin in February next year, reported the Malaymail news outlet.

Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge DatukMohd Sofian Abd Razak fixed the case for management on August 8, 2018, andtentatively set the trial for 19 days, starting from February 18 to March 15,2019, the Malaysian newspaper said.

The tentative dates for the trial are:February 18-28, March 4-8, and March 11-15, 2019.

The former PM made his appearance incourt on July 4 in Kuala Lumpur for corruption-related charges over his allegedinvolvement in the multi-billion-dollar 1MBD scandal.

Najib was charged with three counts ofcriminal breach of trust in his former posts as Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, inassociation with the transfer of 42 million Malaysian ringgit (10.5 million USD)from SRC International, a subsidiary of the 1MBD, to his personal bank accountsbetween August 2011 and March 2015.
 
He also faced one count of corruption. Each count carries a fine and a sentenceof up to 20 years in prison.

Najib pleaded not guilty to all charges at court.

He founded the 1MDB investment fund in2009 with the aim of serving Malaysia’s development through global partnershipsand foreign direct investment.

However, it became the centre of a money laundering scandal, allegedly causinglosses of up to 3.7 billion USD and leading to probes into the financial marketsin several countries such as the US, Switzerland, Singapore, Malaysia, andChina.

In early May, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission summoned Razak and hiswife for investigation. Police also seized a vast quantity of valuables, worthup to 273 million USD, from the country’s former leader.

Taking office after the May 9 election, new Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamadsaid one of the top priorities of his Government is dealing with the corruptionand recovering the losses from 1MDB. The Malaysian Government alsore-investigated the 1MDB case and set up a special committee to look into theproblems surrounding this fund. -VNA         
VNA

See more

At Pulau Seraya power station (Photo: Straitimes)

Singapore begins construction on hydrogen-fueled power plant

Singapore on October 23 began the construction of an 800 million USD power plant that has the capability to use hydrogen to generate electricity, as part of a push to utilise the fuel to reach Singapore’s net-zero carbon emissions target by 2050.

Delegates at the event (Photo: VNA)

125th anniversary of Permanent Court of Arbitration celebrated

The Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations and missions of the Philippines, Australia, Egypt, Guatemala, Hungary, Thailand, France, Eritrea and Austria, organised a ceremony on October 22 to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA), as part of the International Law Week at the UN General Assembly's Legal Committee (Sixth Committee).

CEO of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation Anuar Fariz Fadzil (Photo: focusmalaysia.my)

Malaysia continues placing emphasis on digitalisation

The Budget 2025 provides significant support to further accelerate Malaysia’s digitalisation, encourage adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and drive inclusive growth, further positioning Malaysia as a leading digital hub within the ASEAN region, according to CEO of the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) Anuar Fariz Fadzil.

Malaysia's economic reforms boost investment inflow (Photo: thestar.com.my)

Malaysia's economic reforms boost investment inflow

Malaysia has attracted substantial foreign investments, reaching 22.2 billion MYR (5.16 billion USD) in the third quarter of 2024, the highest level for the same period since 2012, according to UOB's Global Markets and Economics report.

Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN speaks at the debate (Photo: VNA)

Maintaining peace, stability a must for progress on human rights: Ambassador

Progress in human rights can only be achieved by maintaining peace and stability, respecting the rule of law at both the international and national levels, and ensuring respect for the principles of national sovereignty and non-interference in internal affairs, said Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN.

A visitor browses travel promotions at a travel fair in Nonthaburi province. (Photo: Bangkok Post)

Thailand plans enhanced support for domestic tourism

Thailand’s Ministry of Tourism and Sports is aiming to increase subsidy to local tourists in the upcoming stimulus scheme to 50% and would like to change the criteria for online travel agents, mandating them to register in Thailand to avoid losing income to foreign companies.

Oil field offshore Indonesia. (Photo: thejakartapost.com)

Indonesia begins major oil, gas exploration in Sulawesi

Indonesia's state-owned oil company Pertamina, along with foreign partners Sinopec from China and Kuwait’s Kufpec, has signed a contract to explore the Melati oil and gas block, located off the coast of Sulawesi. The block is estimated to contain trillions of cubic feet of gas reserves.