KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA—In a legal reckoning that has shaken the foundations of Southeast Asian politics, the Kuala Lumpur High Court on Friday found former Prime Minister Najib Razak guilty in his most significant trial to date: the multi-billion dollar plunder of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) sovereign wealth fund.
The verdict, delivered by Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah after a marathon six-year trial, marks a crushing blow for the 72-year-old former leader. Najib was convicted on all 25 charges—four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering—involving the illegal transfer of approximately RM2.28 billion ($544 million) from state coffers into his private bank accounts.
‘No Country Bumpkin’: The Judge’s Stinging Rebuke
Throughout the 302-day trial, Najib’s defense rested on the claim that he was an “innocent victim” of a sophisticated shell game orchestrated by fugitive financier Jho Low. However, Judge Sequerah dismissed this narrative with a scathing assessment of the evidence.
- The ‘Proxy’ Connection: The court ruled that Jho Low acted as Najib’s “proxy and intermediary,” describing their relationship as an “unmistakable bond.”
- The Saudi ‘Donation’: The judge flatly rejected Najib’s long-standing defense that the funds were a gift from the Saudi royal family, labeling the four letters produced as evidence as “forgeries” and the story a “tale that surpassed even those from the Arabian Nights.”
- The Power Dynamic: “The accused was no country bumpkin,” Sequerah noted in his judgment. “Any attempt to paint the accused as an ignoramus who was hopelessly unaware of the misdeeds going around him must fail miserably.”
A Legacy in Ruins
This conviction is Najib’s second major legal defeat. He is already serving a six-year prison sentence (reduced from 12 years by a Pardons Board in 2024) for a separate case involving SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB.
The new verdict carries even more severe implications. Under Malaysian law:
- Abuse of Power: Each count carries a maximum of 20 years in prison.
- Money Laundering: These charges carry up to 15 years per count.
- Financial Penalties: Najib faces staggering fines of up to five times the value of the misappropriated funds.
Combined, the new charges could theoretically keep the former “Man of Steel”—once the most powerful man in Malaysia—behind bars for the remainder of his life.
The Political Aftershocks
The ruling arrives at a precarious moment for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government. Najib’s party, UMNO, is a critical partner in the ruling coalition, and many of its members had been lobbying for Najib’s release or a full royal pardon.
- The House Arrest Bid: Only four days ago, the court rejected Najib’s legal bid to serve the remainder of his current sentence under house arrest, signaling a judiciary determined to maintain its independence despite political pressure.
- Public Reaction: Outside the Palace of Justice, a sea of Najib’s supporters, many in tears, chanted “Bossku” (My Boss), while anti-corruption activists hailed the verdict as a “victory for the rule of law” and a warning to the nation’s elite.
What’s Next for Najib?
As Najib was escorted back to Kajang Prison in a heavily guarded motorcade, his lead counsel, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, vowed an immediate appeal. “This is not the end of the road,” Shafee told reporters, alleging that the trial was a “political witch hunt.”
The appeal process could take another year to reach the Federal Court, Malaysia’s highest tribunal. Until then, the man who once socialized with global presidents and kings remains a prisoner, his name forever synonymous with one of the largest financial heists in history.