In a landmark judicial ruling that concludes a seven-year legal battle, Malaysia’s High Court has convicted former Prime Minister Najib Razak on all criminal charges related to the massive 1MDB financial scandal. Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah delivered the verdict on Friday, finding the former leader guilty of four counts of abuse of power and twenty-one counts of money laundering involving approximately 2.2 billion ringgit ($544.15 million).
The conviction represents the most significant development to date in the global 1MDB corruption case, which involved the systematic misappropriation of funds from Malaysia’s state development fund. The scandal triggered investigations across multiple continents and led to the collapse of Najib’s government in the 2018 general elections.
Najib, who is already serving a prison sentence at Kajang Prison for a separate SRC International case connected to the same scandal, now faces additional decades in prison. The SRC International case involved a former subsidiary of 1MDB, where Najib was previously convicted of diverting 42 million ringgit ($10 million).
The verdict culminates one of the most extensive corruption trials in Malaysian history, featuring hundreds of witnesses and thousands of documents presented as evidence. Prosecutors successfully demonstrated how Najib utilized his position to orchestrate the transfer of state funds into his personal accounts between 2011 and 2014.
Legal experts describe the ruling as a watershed moment for Malaysia’s judicial system and anti-corruption efforts. The case has been closely watched internationally as a test of Malaysia’s commitment to addressing high-level corruption and upholding the rule of law.