In the significant ruling at the Kuala Lumpur High Court, 1MDB’s request to change the judge for its RM8.05 billion lawsuit was denied. This case includes an allegation against former CEO Arul Kanda and former Treasury Secretary-General Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, accusing them of breach of trust and conspiracy.
The court’s decision was made by judicial commissioner Raja Ahmad Mohzanuddin Shah Raja Mohzan, who rejected 1MDB’s proposal to have Judge Atan Mustaffa Yusoff Ahmad oversee the case.
1MDB had sought the change because Judge Atan is also involved in another major 1MDB lawsuit against former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak.
However, the defendants argued that the issues in their case were different from those in the Najib case, leading to the court’s decision to keep the current judge.
Trial Set for September Amid the Ongoing Financial Scandal
As a result of the ruling, 1MDB must also pay RM8,000 in legal costs to the defendants.
Now the trial is scheduled to begin in September, continuing the legal battles surrounding the 1MDB scandal.
The particular lawsuit claims that the Arul kanda and Irwan misappropriated funds add up to billions of dollars, with transactions that include alleged payments to Aabar Investments and the International Petroleum Investment Company.
This legal development is part of the broader 1MDB scandal, which involves matters of financial mismanagement and corruption that have attracted global attention and led to significant political and economic repercussions for Malaysia