Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been sentenced to 15 years in jail for abuse of power and money laundering. This verdict marks his second conviction related to the multi-billion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) state funds scandal.
Verdict Details
On Friday, a judge found Mr. Najib, 72, guilty on four charges of abuse of power and 21 charges of money laundering. He received four 15-year sentences for the abuse of power charges and five years each for the 21 money laundering charges. All sentences will run concurrently under Malaysian law.
The case involved the misappropriation of nearly 2.3 billion Malaysian ringgit (approximately $569 million) from the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund. The verdict follows seven years of legal proceedings that included testimony from 76 witnesses.
Prior Convictions and Legal Status
Mr. Najib is currently serving a six-year jail sentence for a separate 1MDB-related case. In 2020, he was convicted of abuse of power, money laundering, and breach of trust concerning 42 million ringgit (approximately $10 million) transferred from SRC International, a former 1MDB unit, into his personal accounts. His original 12-year sentence for this conviction was halved last year.
Earlier in the week, a court rejected his application to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
His wife, Rosmah Mansor, was separately sentenced to ten years in jail in 2022 for bribery, and she is currently free on bail pending an appeal.
The 1MDB Scandal
The 1MDB scandal gained international attention approximately a decade ago. Investigators estimated that $4.5 billion was siphoned from the state-owned wealth fund into private accounts, including those of Mr. Najib.
Mr. Najib's defense maintained he was misled by advisers, specifically financier Jho Low, who remains at large. He also claimed the funds in the latest case were a donation from the late Saudi King Abdullah. Malaysian courts have rejected these claims.
Political Implications
The 1MDB scandal significantly impacted Malaysian politics, contributing to the historic electoral defeat of Mr. Najib's Barisan Nasional coalition in 2018, which had governed the country since 1957.
The recent verdicts have also highlighted divisions within Malaysia's current ruling coalition, which includes Mr. Najib's party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO). Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has called for all political parties to respect the court's decisions.