KUALA LUMPUR — The High Court today dismissed Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s application to stay the execution of his 15-year prison sentence and RM11.4 billion fine following his conviction in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case.
Judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin ruled that Najib had failed to meet the special circumstances test required to justify a stay of execution, Bernama reported.
“I tend to agree more with the deputy public prosecutor’s submissions that the gravity of the offence is a more important public interest consideration to which this court must have regard. The applicant was no longer a first-time offender by the time he was convicted by the trial judge in the related 1MDB case,” she said.
On Najib’s medical condition, Noor Ruwena said the issues raised did not meet the threshold for special circumstances, noting that the medical report presented to her indicated that his healthcare needs were being adequately addressed.
She said the report created the impression that Najib’s medical needs were being “very well taken care of by the government, hospitals and medical experts”.
Following the ruling, Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the court that the defence would file a fresh application for a stay of execution at the Court of Appeal after obtaining the full grounds of judgment.
Earlier, Muhammad Shafee said the defence had not sought a stay of execution immediately after Najib’s conviction in December last year because he was already serving his prison sentence in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case.
He said the decision was intended to preserve Najib’s ability to benefit from concurrent sentences should the appellate court rule in his favour on whether the sentences in the 1MDB case could run alongside those in the SRC International case.
“The non-application for a stay on that day was expressly premised upon the applicant’s liberty to apply for a stay at a later date, depending on subsequent developments in the law or other circumstances,” he said.
Muhammad Shafee also urged the court to consider Najib’s age and health when deciding whether to grant the application.
Opposing the bid, deputy public prosecutor Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib argued that Najib had failed to establish exceptional circumstances warranting a suspension of his sentence pending appeal.
“If a stay is granted, the respondent, representing the public interest, would suffer real prejudice as the enforcement of a valid conviction would be suspended, potentially eroding public confidence in the administration of justice and delaying finality in a case that has already taken seven years from charge to conviction,” he said.
Ahmad Akram maintained that the seriousness of the offences, Najib’s previous convictions and the wider public interest supported the dismissal of the application.
On Dec 26 last year, the High Court sentenced Najib to 15 years in prison and imposed a fine of RM11.4 billion after finding him guilty in the 1MDB case. He filed a notice of appeal at the Court of Appeal on Dec 29 but did not seek a stay of execution at the time.
For the abuse of power charges, the court imposed 15 years’ imprisonment for each count and a collective fine of RM11.4 billion, with an additional 40 years’ imprisonment in default of payment.
For the 21 money laundering charges, Najib was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment on each count, without an additional fine.
The court ordered all prison terms to run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of 15 years.
However, the sentence is to begin only after Najib completes his existing six-year prison term for misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International, which is scheduled to end on Aug 23, 2028.
Last month, His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia, granted Najib a conditional pardon allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest until Aug 23, 2028, subject to payment of a RM50 million fine. – October 14, 2026