KUALA LUMPUR, June 4 — Almost six years after he was initially charged, former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s criminal breach of trust (CBT) trial involving RM6.64 billion in government funds paid to the International Petroleum Investment Company (IPIC) begins today.

In this trial, Najib is also jointly charged with former Treasury secretary-general Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, who is the second accused.

Their case has been scheduled to be heard before High Court judge Datuk Muhammad Jamil Hussin, with hearings fixed over a period of 13 days this month: from June 4 to 6, June 10 to 13, June 19 to 20, and June 24 to June 27.

A further 18 days of trial hearings have also been fixed for July as well.

The IPIC trial is Najib’s fourth criminal trial after the SRC International Sdn Bhd criminal trial, the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) trial and the audit report tampering trial.

In October 2018, Najib and Mohd Irwan Serigar pleaded not guilty to six charges of CBT amounting to RM6.6 billion in government funds involving payments to IPIC.

Najib and Mohd Irwan Serigar were jointly accused of committing all the offences at the Finance Ministry Complex, Putrajaya between December 21, 2016, and December 18, 2017.

They were charged under Section 409 of the Penal Code read together with Section 34 of the same code which provides for a maximum of 20 years in jail and whipping as well as a fine upon conviction.

Imprisoned since August 23, 2022, Najib is serving his 12-year jail sentence and RM210 million fine for his conviction over the misappropriation of SRC International’s RM42 million funds, which has recently been reduced to six years of jail and RM50 million fine by the Pardons Board.