"A Dramatic Fall From Grace" - Global Media Weighs In After Najib Was Charged In Court
His fate attracted the interest of international media today.
By Jia Vern Tham — 04 Jul 2018, 07:28 PM
A "dramatic" fall from grace indeed. Former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak was taken to court earlier today, and had four charges brought against him.
Najib is being charged under Section 409 of the Penal Code for three counts of criminal breach of trust, and one count of abuse of power.
The ex-Prime Minister, who pleaded not guilty to all charges against him, was ordered to pay a RM1 million bail and surrender both his passports.
Najib has been released on bail, according to Free Malaysia Today. He also insisted that he was innocent, and referred to the court case as "the best chance" to clear his name.
Najib's arrest and corruption charges came within two months after he lost office in the historic 14th General Election. The former premier's fate has garnered the interest of international media, and here are some of their headlines:
2. Reuters
Tommy Thomas was reported by Reuters as saying that Najib used his position as a public official for "self gratification (for a) total of RM42 million".
The report added that once Najib is convicted of abuse of power, the fine he will face is "not less than five times the value of gratification".
3. Huffington Post
"Najib was arrested at his home on Tuesday (3 July) as part of the investigations into 1MDB (1Malaysia Development Berhad) revived by his successor and mentor-turned-foe Mahathir Mohamad," the article reads.
4. Wall Street Journal
"He (Najib) is no longer able to dictate events after being cast from office in a stunning election loss in May," Tom Wright and Yantoultra Ngui of Wall Street Journal wrote.
5. Al Jazeera
"If convicted, each of the four charges could see the former Prime Minister jailed for up to 20 years," a part of the story reads.
