Malaysia Judge Says Ex-PM Najib No ‘Bumpkin’ in Key 1MDB Verdict
(Bloomberg) — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak’s defense in his biggest case yet involving 1MDB was roundly criticized by the presiding judge, who dismissed claims that Najib was unaware of any wrongdoing and directly linked him to Jho Low, the fugitive financier at the center of the scandal.
“The defendant was no country bumpkin, he had not only impeccable family and political pedigree, but also superior intelligence,” Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah said in the Supreme Court’s nearly three-hour judgment on Friday. He said Najib used Low, who is now at large, as a “proxy or agent” in 1MDB’s affairs.
No decision has yet been made on more than two dozen charges against Najib, 72; The trial ended shortly after 3pm Kuala Lumpur time and was scheduled to continue after 3pm. Najib has consistently denied wrongdoing and may appeal any guilty verdicts.
The judge said prosecution witnesses were credible and also rejected Najib’s “Arab donation” defense regarding millions of dollars deposited into his bank account allegedly by the Saudi royal family. The judge said the “cold facts” showed Low’s presence and involvement in critical stages of 1MDB’s transactions and a “clear familiarity and relationship” with Najib.
“The defendant’s attempt to distance himself from Jho Low appeared futile in light of the overwhelming evidence of these prosecution witnesses,” Sequerah told the High Court. Suggestions that officials under Najib “knowingly conspired” against the then prime minister would “stretch the imagination into the realms of pure fantasy.”
The judge also rejected defense claims that Najib was misled and deceived by Low.
Najib is currently serving a sentence for crimes related to the collapse of 1MDB and on Monday lost his bid to serve the remainder of his current six-year sentence at home. Friday’s ruling relates to four counts of abuse of power against Najib in 2018 and 21 counts of money laundering involving about 2.2 billion ringgit ($544 million) tied to 1MDB.
The sovereign wealth fund was set up during his premiership before collapsing in the multibillion-dollar 1MDB scandal that spread from Singapore to Switzerland. Among those ensnared in this affair were a Grammy-winning rapper and a high-profile banker; global investigations have revealed salacious details of Hollywood deals and parties with actor Leonardo DiCaprio. It was claimed that approximately 4.5 billion dollars were lost in the scandal, which led to numerous investigations across continents.
A negative decision would reduce Najib’s chances of a political comeback, even though he wields significant influence over the United Malays National Organization, which is campaigning for his release. UMNO’s secretary-general said this week it might be time to reconsider its support for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s government after the Democratic Action Party, the coalition’s largest member, praised Najib for his recent legal loss.
Najib, whose father was Malaysia’s second prime minister, lost power in 2018 and has been in prison since 2022 for breach of trust and abuse of power in connection with 1MDB. Following royal intervention, his original sentence was halved to six years in early 2024 and he is expected to be released in 2028.
–With help from Joy Lee and Adrian Kennedy.
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