KUALA LUMPUR — Civil society groups today welcomed former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s conviction in the 1MDB case, but warned that it will be meaningless unless it leads to real and lasting institutional reforms.
Electoral watchdog Bersih said the verdict should not be treated as the end of Malaysia’s fight against corruption, stressing that the government must now move urgently to strengthen safeguards and accountability measures.
“This decision will be meaningless if the current Madani government takes no action to prevent the emergence of new kleptocrats in the country through institutional and electoral reforms.
“Appointment powers, particularly appointments to the judiciary, the MACC and the EC, must be reformed urgently to ensure that these institutions are genuinely independent and free from the grip of the executive, especially the prime minister.
“Likewise, the separation of powers between the Attorney-General and the Public Prosecutor must be implemented immediately to prevent any recurrence of politically motivated prosecutions against the government’s political opponents,” the steering committee said.
Reforms at GLCs
In a separate statement, the Centre to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4) called for immediate reforms in government-linked companies (GLCs) following the verdict.
It highlighted how fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho (Jho Low) had wielded significant influence over 1MDB’s operations despite not holding any official position within the state-owned firm.
C4 cautioned that continuing to appoint politicians to leadership positions in federal statutory bodies and GLCs risked conflicts of interest.
“It was found that 1MDB officers had acted on instructions by Low as they genuinely believed that Low was acting on Najib’s instructions or with his endorsement.
“Have there been any effective reforms to the management and governance of GLCs to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future?” it asked, while also urging Low’s immediate extradition to Malaysia to face justice.
The group also criticised those who created or supported the now-debunked “Arab donation” narrative used to justify the massive funds deposited into Najib’s personal account.
The High Court yesterday sentenced Najib to 15 years in prison and fined him RM11.4 billion after finding him guilty of four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.28 billion in 1MDB funds deposited into his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.
Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah ordered that Najib’s sentence begin in 2028, after he completes his current six-year prison term in the SRC International case. — December 27, 2025