Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was convicted on Friday of abusing his power to siphon billions of ringgit from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) sovereign wealth fund and laundering the proceeds.
Sentencing, expected later on Friday, could add several years to the six-year prison term Najib is already serving in a separate 1MDB-related case.
Presiding judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah found the 72-year-old guilty on all four counts of abuse of power and all 21 counts of money laundering, involving about 2.28 billion ringgit ($554 million).
Najib, dressed in a navy blue suit and white shirt, appeared subdued in court, looking down as the verdict was delivered.
Once groomed for leadership as the son of one of Malaysia’s founding fathers, Najib suffered a dramatic fall from power amid public outrage over the multibillion-dollar corruption scandal.
Following his defeat in the 2018 general election, investigations under successive governments implicated Najib and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, in multiple corruption cases.
Prosecutors said Najib abused his roles as prime minister, finance minister and chairman of 1MDB’s advisory board to divert vast sums from the fund into his personal bank accounts more than a decade ago.
Investigators said the stolen money was used to finance luxury real estate, a superyacht and high-value artworks.
Defence arguments rejected
In delivering his ruling, Judge Sequerah dismissed the defence’s claim that Najib had been deceived by his close associate, the fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, widely known as Jho Low.
“The evidence clearly points to the fact that this was no coincidence but indicative of a relationship in which Jho Low operated as a proxy or agent of the accused in the affairs of 1MDB,” the judge said.
He described the defence’s argument that Najib was “misled and duped” by 1MDB management and Jho Low as “unmeritorious.”
1MDB was established by Najib in 2009, shortly after he took office as prime minister. Whistleblowers later alleged that Jho Low, despite holding no official position, played a central role in setting up and controlling the fund’s finances.
Authorities estimate that more than $4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB between 2009 and 2015 by fund officials and their associates, including Low, who remains at large.
Judge Sequerah also rejected claims that the money deposited into Najib’s accounts came from Middle Eastern donors, dismissing the explanation as a “tale that surpassed even those from the Arabian Nights.”
The prosecution relied on bank records, documentary evidence and testimony from more than 50 witnesses to make its case.
During closing arguments, deputy public prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib said Najib had portrayed himself as a victim of rogue subordinates.
“In truth, he was the single most powerful decision-maker,” Gharib told the court. “The accused wielded absolute financial, executive and political control.”
Legal battles continue
Najib’s lawyers have argued that he was unaware of 1MDB management’s dealings with Jho Low and that the fund was originally intended to drive economic development.
His lead counsel, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, has repeatedly said Najib did not receive a fair trial and blamed Jho Low for the scandal, which triggered investigations across multiple countries and severely damaged Malaysia’s international reputation.
Najib has apologised for allowing the 1MDB scandal to occur during his tenure but continues to deny any personal wrongdoing, insisting he was unaware of the illegal transfers.
Earlier this week, Najib lost a bid to serve the remainder of his current prison sentence under house arrest instead of at Kajang Prison near Kuala Lumpur.
Each abuse-of-power charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to five times the amount of the bribe.
AFP
