Kuala Lumpur, December 27: Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak was sentenced on Friday to a further 15 years in prison and fined 11.39 billion ringgit ($2.8 billion) after being found guilty of abuse of power and money laundering in the biggest trial stemming from the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal.
In a verdict that took more than five hours to deliver, High Court judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah convicted Najib on all four counts of abuse of power and 21 money laundering charges, rejecting the former leader’s claim that he had been deceived by others involved in the state fund.
To accept Najib’s defence would “stretch the imagination into the realms of pure fantasy,” the judge said, adding that the evidence against him was “cold, hard and incontrovertible”.
Najib, 72, will serve the sentences concurrently after his current jail term ends in 2028. He was first imprisoned in 2022 in a separate 1MDB-related case. The court also ordered the recovery of 2.08 billion ringgit in assets and warned that failure to pay the fines would result in additional jail time.
Malaysia and U.S. investigators say at least $4.5 billion was stolen from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state fund Najib co-founded in 2009 during his nine years in power. More than $1 billion allegedly flowed into accounts linked to Najib, who has long denied wrongdoing and said he was made a scapegoat.
The judge said Najib, as prime minister, stood “at the very apex of the decision-making process” at 1MDB and had an “unmistakable bond and connection” with fugitive financier Jho Low, who prosecutors say acted as his proxy. Low denies wrongdoing and remains at large.
Najib’s claim that the funds were donations from Saudi royalty was dismissed, with the judge describing the alleged letters supporting that defence as implausible and likely forgeries.
In a statement read by his lawyer, Najib urged Malaysians to remain calm and said he would continue to fight the ruling. His lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, said an appeal would be filed.
The verdict could have significant political repercussions for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s governing alliance, which includes Najib’s United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) party, where the former premier still wields influence despite being jailed.
The ruling comes days after a court rejected Najib’s bid to serve his existing sentence under house arrest, a request that had reignited tensions within the ruling coalition.
Funds siphoned from 1MDB were used to purchase luxury assets including a private jet, a $120 million superyacht and artworks, and to finance the Hollywood film The Wolf of Wall Street, according to U.S. lawsuits.
The decision marks the culmination of a decade-long investigation by Malaysia’s anti-corruption agency, which officials said faced repeated legal and political obstacles during Najib’s time in office.
