Najib spent $800,000 in shopping spree in 2014

KUALA LUMPUR - Credit cards belonging to Malaysia's disgraced former prime minister Najib Razak were used to spend more than $800,000 in one day at a luxury jeweler in Italy, a court has heard.

The 2014 spending spree is the latest evidence of the lavish lifestyle enjoyed by Najib after he and his cronies allegedly plundered state coffers, critics say.

Najib, together with his family members and inner circle are accused of stealing billions of dollars from Malaysian sovereign wealth fund 1MDB in a fraud that stretched around the world.

The claims played a major part in Najib's losing power at elections last year. He was arrested after being ejected from office, and went on trial over the scandal in April.

At a hearing in the case Monday, a bank official said two credit cards belonging to the ex-leader were used to spend 3.3 million ringgit ($803,000) at a branch of Swiss jeweler De Grisogono in Italy, state news agency Bernama reported.

The money was spent on Aug 8, 2014, said Yeoh Eng Leong, an official from Malaysian lender AmBank, although he did not disclose what was bought, Bernama reported.

The cards were also used to pay about 460,000 ringgit at a Chanel boutique in Hawaii and over 120,000 ringgit at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok, he told the court.

Najib defended the Italian spending spree. "This expenditure is for a gift to a senior member of the royalty of a government and their entourage that has good relations with our country," he said in a Facebook post.

During his years in office, Najib and his luxury-loving wife Rosmah Mansor - who has also been charged over the fraud - came to symbolize the rot in Malaysia's elite. After the election, police discovered valuables, including cash, jewelry and luxury handbags, worth up to $273 million in properties linked to the couple.

Agence France-presse

(China Daily 07/18/2019 page11)