Malaysia’s ex-PM Najib sentenced to 12 years in jail in 1st corruption case
Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak has been sentenced to 12 years in prison in a first of several cases against him over the misappropriation of state funds.
Kuala Lumpur High Court Judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali found Najib guilty of all seven counts in the case on Tuesday.
“After considering all evidence in this trial, I find that the prosecution has successfully proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt,” said the judge.
He sentenced Najib to 12 years and a fine of 210 million ringgit (49 million dollars) for one count of abuse of power on Tuesday.
Najib also received 10 years in jail on each of the three charges of criminal breach of trust and the three charges of money laundering for illegally receiving nearly 10 million dollars from SRC International, a former unit of the state fund 1MDB.
But the judge ordered the prison terms to run concurrently, so the maximum time Najib would serve would be 12 years.
He also allowed a request by Najib’s lawyers to delay the prison sentence and the fine, but asked Najib to post additional bail and report to a police station twice a month.
Najib, who had pleaded not guilty, told reporters after the trial that he was “surely not satisfied” with the result.
“But within our system, the high court is the first court and the decision was only made by one judge. We have the benefit of an appeal,” he said, vowing to “continue the effort to clear my name.”
Najib said he would appeal the verdict in Malaysia’s Federal Court. It could potentially be partially or fully overturned, though that could take years.
The verdict against Najib relates to his role in transferring an estimated 42 million ringgit (10 million dollars) from SRC International into his personal bank accounts. The money was spent on everything from high-end real estate to pricey art in the years leading to 2018.
The former prime minister denies any wrongdoing, saying he was misled by financial advisers. His defense team says Najib was led to believe that the funds in his accounts were donated by Saudi Arabia.
Najib will not lose his seat in parliament, but he will not be able to contest in general elections unless his convictions are overturned on appeal.
He is facing more 1MDB-linked trials as well.
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