Malaysia

There was “no choice” for Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak’s ex-aide but to comply with his boss’ orders, even when it meant playing a part in covering up the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal at the time. Amhari Efendi Nazaruddin told the High Court yesterday (5 Sep) that he was under immense “pressure with the situation”, and even contemplated …

The Malaysian government will retain the country’s statutory retirement age of 60 in a bid to prevent the younger generation from being unable to make a breakthrough in their careers as a result of older workers staying longer in the workforce. Bernama reported Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad as saying at a joint media conference in Phnom Penh on Tue (3 …

by M. Jegathesan Malaysia’s ex-prime minister Najib Razak played a pivotal role in plundering state fund 1MDB and hundreds of millions of dollars were illicitly channelled to his bank account, a prosecutor said Wednesday at the opening of his biggest graft trial. Claims that Najib and his cronies pilfered massive sums from the fund and spent it on everything from …

Investment director at Singapore’s Invesco Ltd, Jalil Rasheed, is poised to take over as Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia’s biggest state-owned fund, Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB), according to reports. Current CEO Abdul Rahman Ahmad who joined PNB in 2016 will reportedly be leaving the fund soon, according to Bloomberg who quoted a ‘person with knowledge of the matter’. Malaysia’s New …

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian ex-leader Najib Razak’s most significant 1MDB trial begins Wednesday, centring on allegations that hundreds of millions of dollars linked to the state fund ended up in his bank account. Claims that Najib and his cronies pilfered massive sums from the fund and spent it on everything from real estate to artwork contributed to the defeat of …

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP): Malaysian prosecutors Tuesday wrapped up the first of several cases against toppled leader Najib Razak over the plundering of 1MDB, a day before the start of his main trial linked to the scandal-hit fund. With the prosecution now finished, a judge will hear arguments from both sides in October and rule on November 11 whether the case …

People’s Voice Party (PVP) chief Lim Tean, alongside PVP’s “Shadow Cabinet” members Leong Sze Hian and Nassir Ismail, paid what he has dubbed a “courtesy visit” to Malaysian Member of Parliament (MP) Maria Chin Abdullah yesterday afternoon (26 Aug) in the capital city of Kuala Lumpur. Ms Chin, who is well-known for her significant role in the Bersih protests that …

The Singapore government must drop all charges against Singaporean international human rights lawyer M Ravi over a statement he made regarding the case of 30-year-old Malaysian drug mule Nagaenthran s/o K Dharmalingam, said Lawyers For Liberty. N Surendran, advisor of the Malaysian human rights organisation and a lawyer himself, alleged in a statement on Tue (20 Aug) that the charges …

In what appears to be a sudden reprieve at the eleventh hour of Utusan Malaysia‘s print operations, Utusan Melayu Berhad announced that it will continue to publish the nation’s oldest Malay-language newspaper in print form. The Utusan Group’s executive chairman Abdul Aziz Sheikh Fadzir said at a townhall meeting with staff members on Tue evening (20 Aug) that while he …

Malaysia and Singapore have reached “some sort of understanding” on the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS). Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke told reporters following the 4th Annual China-Malaysia Port Alliance Meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Mon (19 Aug) that updates on the project are on the way, and that the governments of both countries are “closely behind the scene”. “We …