PUTRAJAYA, MALAYSIA (AP) – Malaysian ex-prime minister Najib Razak lost his final appeal yesterday in a graft case linked to the looting of the 1MDB state fund, with the top court unanimously upholding his conviction and 12-year prison sentence.
The loss means Najib will have to begin serving his sentence immediately, becoming the first former prime minister to be jailed. He left the courthouse after the verdict and was reportedly taken to prison. The five-member Federal Court panel said it found the High Court judge was right in his judgement and that Najib’s appeal was “devoid of any merits”.
“This is a simple and straightforward case of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering,” said Chief Justice Maimun Tuan Mat, who read out the verdict. “We are unable to
conclude that any of the findings of the High Court, as affirmed by the Court of Appeal, were perverse or plainly wrong so as to warrant appellate intervention. We agree that the defence is so inherently inconsistent and incredible that it does not raise a reasonable doubt on the prosecution case,” she said.
The court ordered Najib to begin his time behind bars. He also must pay a USD47 million fine.
1MDB was a development fund that Najib set up shortly after taking power in 2009.
Investigators allege at least USD4.5 billion was stolen from the fund and laundered by Najib’s associates.
Najib was found guilty in 2020 of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering for illegally receiving USD9.4 million from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB.
Najib, 69, has maintained he is innocent and had been out on bail pending his appeals. Just before the court delivered its verdict, he stood up in the dock to make a statement protesting the top court’s series of refusals last week to postpone the appeal hearings.
