Malaysia’s Appeal Court has upheld the conviction and 12-year jail sentence of ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak linked to the massive looting of the 1MDB state investment fund that brought down his government in 2018.
Najib was found guilty by a high court in July 2020 of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering for illegally receiving 42 million ringgit from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB. It was the first of several corruption trials against Najib that are linked to the 1MDB scandal, which sparked investigations in the U.S. and several other countries.
Najib, who looked somber when the verdict was read out, told a virtual news conference later that he was disappointed in the outcome. He reiterated his innocence and said he would appeal to the Federal Court, the country’s top court. Lead prosecutor Sithambaram said the appeal court’s verdict showed the case was based on “cold, hard facts” and that there was no political motive behind Najib’s prosecution.
UMNO returned to government in March 2020 as part of a new coalition that took power from the reformist government that won 2018 elections. In August, UMNO took back the premiership after one of its leaders was appointed the country’s new prime minister following a power struggle.
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