A Malaysian court on Friday found former Prime Minister Najib Razak guilty on all counts in the largest case yet linked to the multibillion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, delivering a verdict that could further reshape the country’s political future.
The High Court ruled that Najib abused his authority and laundered money connected to the sovereign wealth fund he helped establish while in office. Sentencing has been deferred, but the convictions add to Najib’s existing prison term and deepen the fallout from one of the world’s most notorious financial scandals.
Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah convicted Najib on four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering, dismissing the former leader’s argument that the case was driven by political motives.
“The accused’s claim that the charges were politically motivated collapses in the face of clear, consistent, and overwhelming evidence,” Sequerah said, adding that Najib exploited his extensive authority over 1MDB to facilitate the crimes.
Prosecutors said Najib could face between 15 and 20 years in prison on each count, along with financial penalties that may total up to five times the value of the funds involved.
Malaysian and U.S. investigators estimate that at least $4.5 billion was siphoned from 1MDB, a state investment vehicle founded in 2009 during Najib’s tenure as prime minister. Authorities allege that more than $1 billion flowed into accounts linked to Najib, allegations he has consistently denied.
Najib has argued that he believed the funds were legitimate donations from Saudi royalty. However, the court rejected that explanation, ruling that documents submitted in support of the claim were unverified and likely fabricated.
In delivering the verdict, Judge Sequerah said the evidence showed an “unmistakable bond” between Najib and Low Taek Jho, widely known as Jho Low, the fugitive financier accused of orchestrating the looting of 1MDB.
The judge described Low as acting as Najib’s “proxy and intermediary” in key transactions. Low, who has been charged in the United States, denies wrongdoing and remains at large.
Najib previously acknowledged mishandling the scandal and said he had been misled by Low and senior 1MDB officials, an argument the court found implausible.
The ruling is likely to intensify strains within Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s governing coalition, which includes the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the party Najib once led and still influences.
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Najib, 72, has been incarcerated since August 2022 after Malaysia’s top court upheld an earlier corruption conviction related to a 1MDB subsidiary. That 12-year sentence was reduced by half last year following a decision by a pardons board.