The jailed former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak has been sentenced to an additional 15 years after he was found guilty of abuse of power, in the biggest trial yet in the multibillion-dollar fraud scandal related to the state fund 1MDB. In the latest case, Najib had been charged with four counts of corruption and 21 counts of money laundering for receiving illegal transfers of about 2.2bn ringgit ($544.15m) from 1MDB. Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, who was presiding, convicted Najib, 72, on all four counts of abuse of power. According to investigators, proceeds from the state fund were used to bankroll high-end real estate, a luxury yacht and precious artworks. Najib has apologised for allowing the 1MDB scandal to happen during his tenure, but maintains he knew nothing about illegal transfers from the fund.

Source: The Guardian December 26, 2025 20:10 UTC