KUALA LUMPUR/HONG KONG (Reuters) - A lawyer representing former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was charged with money laundering on Thursday, as anti-corruption agents try to retrieve billions of dollars siphoned off from a scandal-plagued state fund.
The charges against Muhammad Shafee Abdullah come as a blow for Najib who is fighting charges of criminal breach of trust, money laundering and abuse of power at a former unit of state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s government, which came to power after a surprise win in elections in May, also acknowledged that the 1MDB fraud investigation was going much more slowly than had been expected, and that “realistically” it was looking at getting back 30 percent of the misappropriated funds.
Shafee pleaded not guilty to two counts of money laundering at a court in Kuala Lumpur after allegedly receiving 9.5 million ringgit ($2.29 million) from Najib. He also faces two charges of false income tax declaration.
Prosecutor Gopal Sri Ram said the case was part of the 1MDB investigation but didn’t say if the money allegedly received by Shafee was from the fund.
Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament today that the suspect in the rape of a lady doctor at the Anuradhapura teaching hospital has been identified as an army deserter and he will be apprehended shortly.
Police have arrested the suspect connected to the sexual assault on a female doctor at the Anuradhapura Teaching Hospital today morning in Galnewa.
The Dutch Public Prosecutor suspects two companies of paying bribes in the construction of hospitals in Sri Lanka, according to an investigation by FD, the Dutch financial newspaper.
The Minister of Power, Kumara Jayakody, stated that in the future, internationally funded projects, such as power projects, will only be carried out through government-to-government (G2G) agreements and competitive procurement.
Israel, a major player in the global diamond and jewellery trade, has invited Sri Lankan gem and jewellery businessmen and designers to collaborate with Israeli diamond traders.
The Government today tabled in the House the Report of the Commission to Inquiry into the Establishment and Maintenance of Unlawful Places of Detention and Torture Chambers in the Batalanda Housing Scheme.
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