KUALA LUMPUR: Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was found guilty on Friday of abusing his power in the 1MDB graft scandal, which saw billions plundered from the now-defunct sovereign wealth fund.
“The prosecution, I find, has thus proven its case against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt in respect of the first charge,” Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah said, adding, “I therefore convict the accused of the first charge.”
Since Najib’s 2018 election loss, investigations under successive governments have ensnared him and his wife Rosmah Mansor.
In the current court battle, the 72-year-old former leader stands accused of four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering linked to a scandal that sparked probes in several countries, including the United States, and dented Malaysia’s international image.
Najib faces years more behind bars on top of the six-year jail term he is already serving after a conviction in a separate case related to the 1MDB fund.
