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Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak has been sentenced to an additional 15 years in prison and fined 11.39 billion ringgit (about $2.8 billion) after being found guilty of abuse of power and money laundering in one of the largest corruption trials in the country’s history. The ruling marks a major milestone in the long-running 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal and carries significant political implications for Malaysia.
The high court found Najib guilty on all four counts of abuse of power and all 21 money laundering charges linked to the misappropriation of funds from 1MDB, a state investment fund he co-founded in 2009 during his tenure as prime minister. Investigators in Malaysia and the United States estimate that at least $4.5 billion was stolen from the fund, with more than $1 billion allegedly flowing into accounts connected to Najib.
High court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah rejected Najib’s long-standing defense that he was deceived by subordinates and outside actors, calling the claim implausible and unsupported by evidence. The judge said Najib stood at the apex of decision-making at 1MDB and had extensive authority, making it unrealistic to suggest that others conspired against him without his knowledge. The court ordered that the prison sentences run concurrently and begin after Najib’s current jail term, which ends in 2028. Failure to pay the fine or surrender assets worth 2.08 billion ringgit could result in additional jail time.
Najib, who has maintained that funds in his accounts were donations from Saudi royalty, saw those claims dismissed by the court. The judge ruled that the evidence clearly showed the money originated from 1MDB and suggested that letters cited as proof of Saudi donations were likely forgeries. The court also highlighted Najib’s close relationship with fugitive financier Jho Low, describing Low as a proxy and intermediary in 1MDB affairs.
The verdict adds strain to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s governing coalition, which includes Najib’s UMNO party, and underscores the broader political fallout of the 1MDB scandal. The case concludes a decade-long investigation involving multiple countries and reinforces Malaysia’s commitment to accountability in high-level corruption cases.
