Najib Razak, who was Malaysia’s prime minister from 2009 to 2018, was eventually jailed for his role in a massive corruption scandal involving the country’s state-owned wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad or 1MDB, starting a 12-year sentence.
The march order came from Malaysia’s Federal Court, which on Aug. 23 rejected Razak’s final appeal and upheld his guilty verdict on multiple charges against 1MDB.
The 69-year-old was convicted by the High Court in July 2020 on seven counts of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering for illegally receiving around $10 million from a former subsidiary of 1MDB. He appealed and has been out on bail ever since.
Nearly $50 million in fines
The conviction included not only imprisonment but also a 210 million ringgit ($46.8 million) fine. If Razak doesn’t pay the fine, he will go to jail for another five years.
The federal court rejected Razak’s request to delay sentencing as he made a last-minute attempt to delay the court’s final ruling by changing lawyers before an appeal hearing begins.
The conviction means Razak will lose his parliamentary seat and cannot stand in elections. He also faces several other 1MDB trials, but continues to deny any wrongdoing.
two options left
The former prime minister now has two options. He can apply for a review of the federal court’s decision, although such applications are rarely successful. He could also seek a royal pardon. If the latter succeeds, he could be released without serving the 12-year mark.
In total, about $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB, which was co-founded by Razak when he was prime minister in 2009, and more than $1 billion allegedly went to Najib, whom the U.S. Justice Department called “the biggest thief,” prosecutors said. Domination Investigation”. “
Various recipients of 1MDB funds, including fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low, used the money to buy luxury assets and real estate, art paintings, private jets, superyachts, hotels, jewelry, and to finance the 2013 Hollywood film “The Wall Street”. wolves,” the U.S. lawsuit says.
“The most unfair”
“It’s the worst feeling to have to realise that the power of the judiciary is working against me in the most unfair way,” Najib told the court.
In a Facebook post the day before the final verdict, he said he was “overwhelmed” and felt “betrayed and alone”.
About an hour after the court’s ruling, Lhasa was transported by a police convoy to Kajang Prison, 30 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur.
Najib Razak, who was Malaysia’s prime minister from 2009 to 2018, was eventually jailed for his role in a massive corruption scandal involving the country’s state-owned wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad or 1MDB, starting a 12-year sentence. The march order came from Malaysia’s Federal Court, which on Aug. 23 rejected Razak’s final appeal and upheld his guilty verdict on multiple charges against 1MDB. The 69-year-old was convicted by the High Court in July 2020 of seven criminal offences of breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering, on charges of…
Najib Razak, who was Malaysia’s prime minister from 2009 to 2018, was eventually jailed for his role in a massive corruption scandal involving the country’s state-owned wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad or 1MDB, starting a 12-year sentence.
The march order came from Malaysia’s Federal Court, which on Aug. 23 rejected Razak’s final appeal and upheld his guilty verdict on multiple charges against 1MDB.
The 69-year-old was convicted by the High Court in July 2020 on seven counts of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering for illegally receiving around $10 million from a former subsidiary of 1MDB. He appealed and has been out on bail ever since.
Nearly $50 million in fines
The conviction included not only imprisonment but also a 210 million ringgit ($46.8 million) fine. If Razak doesn’t pay the fine, he will go to jail for another five years.
The federal court rejected Razak’s request to delay sentencing as he made a last-minute attempt to delay the court’s final ruling by changing lawyers before an appeal hearing begins.
The conviction means Razak will lose his parliamentary seat and cannot stand in elections. He also faces several other 1MDB trials, but continues to deny any wrongdoing.
two options left
The former prime minister now has two options. He can apply for a review of the federal court’s decision, although such applications are rarely successful. He could also seek a royal pardon. If the latter succeeds, he could be released without serving the 12-year mark.
In total, about $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB, which was co-founded by Razak when he was prime minister in 2009, and more than $1 billion allegedly went to Najib, whom the U.S. Justice Department called “the biggest thief,” prosecutors said. Domination Investigation”. “
Various recipients of 1MDB funds, including fugitive Malaysian financier Jho Low, used the money to buy luxury assets and real estate, art paintings, private jets, superyachts, hotels, jewelry, and to finance the 2013 Hollywood film “The Wall Street”. wolves,” the U.S. lawsuit says.
“The most unfair”
“It’s the worst feeling to have to realise that the power of the judiciary is working against me in the most unfair way,” Najib told the court.
In a Facebook post the day before the final verdict, he said he was “overwhelmed” and felt “betrayed and alone”.
About an hour after the court’s ruling, Lhasa was transported by a police convoy to Kajang Prison, 30 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur.
