Judge jails ex-Malaysian PM for 15 more years

(FILES) Former prime minister of Malaysia Najib Razak looks on as he walks escorted by prison officers during an appeal hearing at the Kuala Lumpur High Court on April 17, 2024. Former prime minister Najib Razak faces judgment on December 26, 2025 for his alleged involvement in Malaysia's 1MDB mega-graft scandal, with a guilty verdict likely to add years to a sentence already being served. (Photo by Mohd RASFAN / AFP)

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A Malaysian judge on Friday sentenced former prime minister Najib Razak to an additional 15 years in jail after convicting him of abuse of power and money laundering in a sovereign wealth fund graft scandal.

Najib was also fined 11.4 billion ringgit ($2.8 billion) for his role in the plunder of billions from the now-defunct 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) more than a decade ago.

He is already serving a six-year term after being convicted in a separate 1MDB case, and Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah said the latest sentence would begin only after the completion of that term.

Sequerah convicted the 72-year-old former leader on all four counts of abuse of power, as well as all 21 counts of money laundering involving about 2.28 billion ringgit ($554 million) from the fund.

Najib, dressed in a navy blue suit and white shirt, was seen looking down and slumped in his seat as the judge read the verdict after a marathon eight-hour hearing.

The son of one of Malaysia’s founding fathers, Najib was groomed for leadership from a young age but fell from power spectacularly as public anger mounted over the corruption scandal.

Investigations under successive governments have ensnared him and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, in graft allegations since his defeat in the 2018 elections.

Prosecutors said Najib abused his positions as prime minister, finance minister, and chairman of 1MDB’s advisory board to move vast sums from the fund into his personal accounts.

According to investigators, proceeds from the fund were used to bankroll high-end real estate, a luxury yacht, and precious artworks, including a Monet and a Van Gogh.

‘Unmeritorious’

Sequerah dismissed several arguments by Najib’s defence team, including claims that he had been duped by his close associate, the shadowy businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low.

“The evidence clearly points to the fact that this was no coincidence but was indicative of a relationship in which Jho Low operated as a proxy or agent of the accused (Najib) with regard to the running of the affairs of 1MDB,” Sequerah said.

He added that the defence argument that Najib was “misled and duped by management and by Jho Low is unmeritorious”.

Najib’s lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, told reporters that they would appeal the judgment, saying Sequerah had “blundered”.

1MDB was a state investment fund launched by Najib in 2009, shortly after he became prime minister.

Whistleblowers said Jho Low, a well-connected Malaysian financier with no official role, helped set up the fund and made key financial decisions.

It is estimated that more than $4.5 billion was diverted from 1MDB between 2009 and 2015 by fund officials and associates, including Low, who remains on the run.

Sequerah also dismissed claims that Middle Eastern donors — including the late Saudi King Abdullah — were responsible for money flowing into Najib’s accounts, calling it “a tale that surpassed even those from the Arabian Nights”.

The prosecution presented bank records, testimony from more than 50 witnesses, and documentary evidence.

“The accused wielded absolute financial, executive, and political control,” prosecutors said.

–Apology

Najib’s lawyers have said he was unaware that 1MDB’s management was working hand-in-glove with Low to siphon large sums from the fund, which was ostensibly established to foster economic growth in Malaysia.

Shafee told journalists last week that his client “never got a fair trial”.

He again blamed Low for the scandal, which sparked investigations in several countries from Singapore to the United States and dented Malaysia’s image abroad.

Najib has apologised for allowing the 1MDB scandal to occur during his tenure but has consistently denied wrongdoing, maintaining that he knew nothing about the illegal transfers from the fund.

His legal battle suffered another setback on Monday after he lost a bid to serve the remainder of his current jail term at home rather than at Kajang Prison outside Kuala Lumpur.

AFP

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