New Delhi/ Guwahati, Dec 22: The Kuala Lumpur High Court on Monday (December 22) denied former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s bid to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest.
The Malaysian Court rejected the 72 year old former Prime Minister’s plea ruling that a royal order issued by the nation’s former king was invalid, citing non-compliance with constitutional requirements.
The former Prime Minister’s lawyer has told the court that they plan to appeal the verdict.
Former PM Najib Razak will serve the remainder of his term in prison, scheduled to end in August 2028. The Pardons Board had cut Najib’s 12-year sentence by half last year after being convicted in a trial linked to the multibillion-dollar looting of the 1MDB state fund that toppled his government in 2018.
Mr. Najib was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2020 for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving 42 million ringgit ($10.3 million) channeled into his bank accounts from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB.
He began his sentence in August 2022 after losing his final appeal, becoming Malaysia’s first former PM to be jailed.
However, the former PM denies any wrongdoing, alleging that Malaysian financier Low Taek Jho had duped him. Low, thought to be the mastermind behind the scandal, still remains at large.
Najib Razak faces another trial on December 26 for abuse of power and money laundering involving $ 700 million from 1MDB.
If found guilty the former Prime Minster faces up to 20 years in prison for each count of abuse of power and up to five years for each of the money laundering charges.
Najib Razak had set up the 1MDB development fund shortly after he assumed office in 2009. Investigators allege at least $4.5 billion missing from the fund and laundered by Najib’s associates through layers of bank accounts in the U.S. and other countries.
It is also alleged that the funds were used to finance Hollywood films and for extravagant purchases that included hotels, luxury yachts, art and jewelries etc.
The court’s decision marks a significant development in Malaysia’s anti-corruption efforts. Najib’s case highlights Malaysia’s fight against corruption and money laundering.
