explainer
Although the judge has not yet handed down a full sentence, Najib was found guilty of abuse of power and money laundering.
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was found guilty of abuse of power and money laundering by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Friday in a landmark trial related to the multibillion-dollar scandal surrounding the country’s sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.
What was the verdict against Najib?
Najib, 72, was found guilty of four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering in connection with the illegal transfer of about 2.2 billion Malaysian ringgit ($543 million) from 1MDB more than a decade ago.
Each charge carries a sentence of 15 to 20 years in prison, but sentencing has not yet been announced.
This was Najib’s second trial related to the same financial scandal. The first trial for embezzlement of funds began in April 2019. In 2020, he was convicted of abuse of power, money laundering and breach of trust and sentenced to 12 years in prison for misappropriating $9.9 million in 1MDB funds. His sentence was later reduced in half through a partial pardon.
Investigators said they believe a total of about $4.5 billion was siphoned from the state-owned wealth fund into personal accounts, including those belonging to Mr. Najib. The legal proceedings in both of Mr. Najib’s trials lasted seven years, and his lawyers called 76 witnesses to the stand, including Mr. Najib himself.
President Najib and his supporters, dozens of whom gathered in court on Friday, say the charges against him are politically motivated and that he was misled by his advisers.
However, Judge Colin Lawrence Secera said in his verdict: “Defendant’s claims that the charges against him were a witch-hunt and politically motivated were debunked by cold, hard, and uncontroversial evidence showing that defendant abused his powerful position at 1MDB and the broad authority vested in him.”
What is 1MDB?
1MDB is an abbreviation for 1Malaysia Development Berhad, Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund. Berhad means “public limited company” in Malay.
The fund was established in 2009 to promote Malaysia’s development through foreign partnerships and investments.
Najib, who served as prime minister and finance minister from 2009 to 2018, also chaired 1MDB.
Prosecutors alleged that more than a decade ago, Najib abused his positions as prime minister, finance minister and chairman of 1MDB’s advisory committee to move large sums of money from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund into personal accounts.
Where is Najib now?
Najib was first convicted of embezzlement in a separate case in 2020 and is being held in Kajang Prison in Malaysia’s Selangor state. He was later granted a partial royal pardon, reducing his sentence from 12 years to 6 years. He was scheduled to be released on August 23, 2028.
In the second trial, which was decided on Friday, investigators revealed that Najib used 1MDB funds to buy the superyacht Equnimity and luxury real estate, as well as to finance the production of the film The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
What did Mr Najib say?
Najib lost the 2018 general election to former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, who helped bring him to power, but has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the 1MDB scandal.
In October 2024, he apologized for mishandling the scandal, but claimed he had no knowledge of illegal fund transfers to personal bank accounts. During his trial, Najib said he believed the money he received was a donation from Saudi Arabia’s late King Abdullah, but the judge on Friday rejected this claim.
Prime Minister Najib also claimed to have been deceived by advisers and others associated with 1MDB, including Malaysian investor Jho Low, the alleged mastermind behind the scandal, who remains at large.
“I am heartbroken every day to learn that the 1MDB debacle occurred under my watch as Minister of Finance and Prime Minister,” Prime Minister Najib said in the letter.
“I would like to sincerely apologize to the Malaysian people for this.”
