KUALA LUMPUR – Former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak has been found guilty on four charges of abusing his position and 21 charges of money laundering involving 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) funds totaling RM2.3 billion.
The verdict was delivered by Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who was then a High Court judge and is now a Federal Court judge.
He ruled that the defense had failed to raise any reasonable doubt regarding the prosecution’s case.
Najib, 72, was charged on four counts of using his position to obtain bribes totaling RM2.3 billion from 1MDB funds via the AmIslamic Bank Berhad branch on Jalan Raja Chulan between 24 February 2011 and 19 December 2014.
He was charged under Section 23(1) of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) Act, which carries penalties under Section 24(1) of the same Act, providing for a maximum imprisonment of 20 years and a fine of five times the value of the bribe or RM10,000, whichever is higher, if convicted.
The former Pekan MP is currently serving a prison sentence at Kajang Prison over the misappropriation of RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd.
Najib was first charged on September 20, 2018, with the trial beginning nearly a year later on August 28, 2019, and the prosecution closing its case on May 30, 2024.
On October 30, 2024, the court ordered Najib to enter his defense on all charges. The defense proceedings took place from December 2, 2024 to May 6, 2025, spanning 58 trial days with testimonies from 26 witnesses.
Among the key defense witnesses were former 1MDB chairman Tan Sri Che Lodin Wok Kamarudin, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin’s sister Tengku Datuk Rahimah Sultan Mahmud, and former Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom.
For 21 charges of money laundering, Najib was accused of committing the offenses at the same bank between 22 March 2013 and 30 August 2013.
These charges were brought under Section 4(1)(a) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing, and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, which carries a maximum penalty of RM5 million in fines or up to five years’ imprisonment, or both, if convicted. – December 26, 2025