In a statement, party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the court’s decision today did not in any way assert Najib’s guilt.

“But it provides Najib the space and opportunity for him to defend himself and prove that he is innocent,” he said.

Zahid, who said he was issuing the statement on behalf of Umno and Barisan Nasional, of which he is the chairman, said they were confident that Najib was on the “side of truth”.

He said they would continue to support Najib and ensure justice.

“We also pray that the real perpetrator behind the 1MDB fiasco will be brought to justice,” he said.

Earlier today, Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah ruled that the prosecution had established a prima facie case against Najib when ordering him to enter his defence.

Najib is standing trial on four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.28 billion in 1MDB funds deposited into his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.

He is currently serving time following his conviction in the SRC International case.