Malaysia court finds ex-PM Najib Razak guilty of abuse of power in biggest 1MDB trial
Malaysia and US investigators say at least $4.5 billion was siphoned off from 1MDB, a state fund Najib co-founded in 2009 while in office.
Jailed former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was found guilty on Friday of abuse of power in the biggest trial yet linked to the multibillion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, a ruling that could have major political repercussions.
The judge, however, has yet to complete the full reading of the verdict and announce sentencing.
Malaysia and US investigators say at least $4.5 billion was siphoned off from 1MDB, a state fund Najib co-founded in 2009 while in office. Prosecutors allege that more than $1 billion of the stolen funds flowed into accounts linked to Najib, allegations he has consistently denied.
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Najib faces four counts of corruption and 21 counts of money laundering over the alleged receipt of more than 2.3 billion ringgit ($569.45 million) from 1MDB-linked sources.
Reading the verdict, Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah said the defence's claim that the charges were politically motivated had been disproved by "cold, hard and incontrovertible evidence" showing that Najib abused his powerful position within 1MDB, alongside the extensive authority vested in him.
Najib could face prison terms ranging from 15 to 20 years on each charge, as well as fines of up to five times the value of the alleged misappropriated funds.
The 72-year-old former premier has been behind bars since August 2022, when Malaysia's top court upheld his conviction in a separate 1MDB-related case. His 12-year sentence in that case was later reduced by half by a pardons board.
During the proceedings, the judge said evidence showed Najib had an "unmistakable bond and connection" with fugitive financier Jho Low, who acted as his proxy and intermediary in 1MDB dealings. Low, charged in the United States, denies wrongdoing and remains at large.
The court dismissed Najib's claim that the funds were donations from the Saudi royal family, calling the explanation implausible and unsubstantiated.
The verdict comes days after a court rejected Najib's bid for house arrest, a decision that has renewed political tensions within Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's ruling coalition.
