KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian court sentenced former Prime Minister Najib Razak to serve 12 years in prison on Tuesday after finding him guilty in the first of several corruption trials linked to the multibillion-dollar looting of the 1MDB state investment fund that brought down his government two years ago.
Najib was calm and stone-faced as he became the first Malaysian leader to be convicted. He took an oath in brief remarks in the dock that he was innocent.
Judge Mohamad Nazlan Ghazali sentenced Najib to 12 years in jail on one count of abuse of power, 10 years each for three counts of criminal breach of trust, and 10 years each for three counts of money laundering, as well as a fine of 210 million ringgit ($49.4 million). But he ordered the sentences to run concurrently, meaning that Najib will face only up to 12 years in jail.
The judge allowed a stay of the jail sentence and fine pending Najib’s planned appeal. But he raised the bail amount and ordered Najib to report to the police twice a month.
“This is definitely not the end of the world, because there is a process of appeal,” Najib said at a news conference after the sentencing. “As to my supporters, I hope they will continue to believe in me and believe in our struggle.”
Najib’s father and uncle were Malaysia’s second and third prime ministers. Shortly after he took office in 2009, he set up 1MDB to ostensibly accelerate Malaysia’s economic development.
But the fund accumulated billions in debt, and U.S. investigators allege that at least $4.5 billion was stolen from it and laundered by Najib’s associates to finance Hollywood films and buy hotels, a luxury yacht, artwork, jewelry and other extravagances. More than $700 million from the fund allegedly landed in Najib’s bank accounts.
The judge read out an elaborate two-hour ruling on Tuesday that convicted Najib of all seven charges.
He said the sentence was “appropriate and proportionate” taking into account that Najib had committed the crime from a “position of trust” as prime minister, his final plea and the need to deter others from committing the same crime.
The ruling in the first of his five corruption trials came five months after Najib’s Malay party returned to government as the biggest bloc in an alliance that took power from the reformist government that ousted Najib’s in 2018 elections.
Najib asked the court to take into account his achievements during his nine-year tenure and gave an oath that he wasn’t aware of the 42 million ringgit ($9.8 million) channeled into his bank accounts from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB.
“I did not demand the 42 million, I did not plan for the 42 million, nor was the 42 million offered to me. There has been no evidence nor witness to this. And I also like to say that I have no knowledge of the 42 million,” Najib insisted.
Some of Najib’s supporters outside the courthouse cried when they learned of the verdict while others chanted “free bossku” and “long live bossku.” The nickname meaning “my boss” was coined for Najib in his social media campaign to reinvent himself as a working-class leader.
Najib, 67, has vowed to fight to the end. He has said he was misled by rogue bankers and the case against him is political.
“I want justice. I want to clear my name,” he wrote on Facebook late Monday. “After this, we will go to the Court of Appeal. I am ready.” He faces 42 charges in five separate trials.
Najib’s party is the biggest bloc in the current Malay nationalist alliance that has governed since March with a shaky, wafer-thin majority in parliament.
Najib’s second and third trials involving some of the remaining charges are ongoing. His wife and several officials from his party and previous government have also been charged with graft related to 1MDB corruption.
Prosecutors said they expect the appeals process to be completed within a year.
AP

Press Trust of India