A Malaysian high court on Friday found former Prime Minister Najib Razak guilty on multiple charges linked to the multibillion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption scandal, marking another major legal blow for the once-powerful leader.
Judges convicted Najib on at least four charges related to abuse of power and money laundering. The ruling was delivered in a packed courtroom, underscoring the enduring public and international attention surrounding the 1MDB affair, which played a key role in the collapse of Najib’s Barisan Nasional coalition after its shock defeat in the 2018 general election.
Najib, 72, is already serving a prison sentence after being convicted in 2020 of graft and money laundering involving SRC International, a former 1MDB unit. That 12-year sentence was halved last year following a decision by a pardons board chaired by Malaysia’s former king. Earlier this week, the court rejected Najib’s bid to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.
In the latest case, Najib faced four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving about 2.3 billion Malaysian ringgit ($570 million), which prosecutors said was misappropriated from 1MDB, a state-owned fund that Najib co-founded in 2009.
U.S. investigators have said at least $4.5 billion was siphoned off from 1MDB by senior officials and their associates, with more than $1 billion allegedly flowing into Najib’s personal bank accounts. According to U.S. authorities, misappropriated funds were used to buy luxury properties in Beverly Hills, New York and London, a 300-foot superyacht, and high-value artworks by artists including Monet and Van Gogh.
The funds were also linked to various business investments, including a boutique hotel in Beverly Hills and a Hollywood film studio that helped finance The Wolf of Wall Street, investigators said.
Throughout the proceedings, Najib has denied wrongdoing, maintaining that the money found in his accounts were donations from the Saudi royal family. He has accused fugitive Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho, widely known as Jho Low, of conspiring with 1MDB officials to defraud the fund without his knowledge.
The court has yet to announce sentencing for the latest convictions, which could further extend Najib’s time behind bars if upheld after appeals.
