Daijiworld Media Network - Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur, Dec 26: Jailed former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was on Friday found guilty of abuse of power in the largest trial linked to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal, a ruling that could have major political ramifications. The court, however, is yet to deliver the full verdict and pronounce the sentence.
Malaysia and US investigators have alleged that at least USD 4.5 billion was siphoned off from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a state investment fund co-founded by Najib in 2009 during his tenure as prime minister. Prosecutors said over USD 1 billion was channelled into accounts linked to Najib, charges he has consistently denied.
Najib faces four counts of corruption and 21 counts of money laundering for allegedly receiving illegal transfers amounting to more than 2.3 billion ringgit (about USD 569 million) from 1MDB-linked entities.
Reading out the verdict, Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah said Najib’s claim that the charges were politically motivated had been “debunked by cold, hard and incontrovertible evidence.” The judge noted that the evidence clearly pointed to Najib abusing his powerful position in 1MDB, coupled with the extensive authority vested in him.
Najib could face jail terms ranging from 15 to 20 years on each charge, along with fines of up to five times the value of the alleged misappropriated sums.
The 72-year-old leader has been behind bars since August 2022 after Malaysia’s top court upheld his conviction in another 1MDB-linked corruption case involving a former unit of the fund. His original 12-year sentence in that case was later halved by a pardons board.
During the proceedings, the court highlighted Najib’s close association with fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low. Judge Sequerah said evidence showed an “unmistakable bond and connection” between Najib and Low, who acted as the former prime minister’s proxy and intermediary in 1MDB dealings.
Low, who has been charged in the United States for his central role in the scandal, has denied wrongdoing and remains at large.
Najib has repeatedly maintained that he was misled by Low and other 1MDB officials into believing that the funds deposited into his personal accounts were donations from the Saudi royal family. However, the judge dismissed this defence as implausible, rejecting letters purportedly from Saudi sources as uncorroborated and likely forged.
“The irresistible conclusion is that the Arab donation narrative is not meritorious,” Judge Sequerah observed, adding that the evidence unmistakably showed the money was derived from 1MDB funds.
The verdict comes days after another court rejected Najib’s bid to serve his remaining jail term under house arrest, a decision that stirred fresh political tensions. Najib’s party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which had opposed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in the 2022 polls, later joined Anwar’s coalition to form the government after a hung parliament.
Following the ruling, some UMNO leaders expressed disappointment over the denial of house arrest, while others criticised celebratory reactions from members of Anwar’s coalition. Prime Minister Anwar has urged restraint, calling on all sides to accept the court’s decisions with patience and wisdom.