Najib in the dock as trial begins

Ten years to the day after he was sworn in, disgraced former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak stood trial on Wednesday for corruption charges linked to a multibillion-dollar scandal that brought down his government, Reuters reported.

Najib, wearing a dark blue suit and a matching tie, smiled as he got out of his car in front of the Kuala Lumpur high court.

A small number of Najib's supporters, including some from his constituency in Pekan town of Pahang state, were present outside the court building, but they were dwarfed by members of the media and the police contingent of around 60 who were present to provide security and crowd control, Xinhua News Agency reported.