Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak received an additional 15-year prison sentence on Friday, deepening the legal reckoning tied to the 1MDB scandal. The court also imposed a $2.8 billion fine. As a result, the ruling stands as the most severe punishment so far in a case that exposed corruption and large-scale money laundering linked to state power.
The Kuala Lumpur High Court convicted Najib on four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering connected to 1Malaysia Development Berhad, the sovereign fund he helped launch in 2009. Prosecutors said billions of dollars flowed out of the fund through opaque financial channels. Moreover, more than $1 billion allegedly landed in accounts tied to Najib. The court ordered the new sentence to begin after his current term ends in 2028. All counts will run concurrently.
Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah rejected Najib’s claim that others deceived him. Instead, he said the evidence showed Najib controlled key decisions at 1MDB and understood how the money moved. The judge described the sums as staggering. He added that the defense narrative lacked credibility.
Court ties Najib to international laundering network
The ruling focused heavily on Najib’s relationship with fugitive financier Jho Low. According to the court, Low acted as Najib’s intermediary and proxy in 1MDB transactions. Investigators in Malaysia and the United States say Low helped move stolen public funds across borders through banks in several countries. However, Low denies wrongdoing and remains at large.
Najib argued that Saudi royalty donated the money found in his accounts. Yet the judge dismissed that explanation. He said documents supporting the claim likely contained forgeries. Furthermore, he traced the funds directly back to 1MDB. The court stressed that Najib, a Western-educated leader with broad financial authority, could not credibly claim ignorance.
The court ordered Najib to pay 11.39 billion ringgit and authorized the recovery of another 2.08 billion ringgit in assets. If he fails to comply, he faces additional prison time. Meanwhile, his lawyer said Najib plans to appeal the verdict.
The decision carries major political consequences. Najib still holds influence within the United Malays National Organisation. That party forms part of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s ruling coalition. Notably, the ruling followed a recent court rejection of Najib’s request to serve his existing sentence under house arrest. That move already strained political alliances.
International investigators have long described the 1MDB affair as one of the largest financial crimes involving a state fund. U.S. authorities said stolen money paid for luxury real estate, artwork, jewelry, a private jet, a superyacht, and the Hollywood film “The Wolf of Wall Street.” Meanwhile, probes in the United States, Switzerland, and Singapore advanced. By contrast, Malaysian investigators faced years of obstruction during Najib’s time in office.
Malaysia’s Anti-Corruption Commission said the verdict reflected persistence rather than triumph. According to officials, the outcome fulfilled an institutional duty after a decade-long effort to unravel complex financial crimes.
Overall, the case sends a clear signal. Political power does not guarantee immunity. Likewise, money laundering schemes built around public institutions can face accountability long after the money disappears.