Malaysia’s Ex-PM Najib Razak Hopes For Relief In 1MDB Saga; Two Key Court Rulings Today | World News

In a ruling that could test Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s anti-corruption campaign, the Kuala Lumpur High Court will deliver a ruling on two key cases in which former Prime Minister Najib Razak was jailed. Razak faces corruption charges related to the multibillion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, and Monday’s verdicts will decide whether he can serve the remainder of his sentence at home.

According to Reuters, the 12-year sentence of Necib, who has been detained since 2022, was halved last year by the amnesty board chaired by the former king. But he argues that the monarch also issued a “supplementary order” commuting the remainder of his sentence to house arrest and pressured the government to acknowledge the document’s existence and enforce its terms.

While government officials have refused to confirm the existence of such a decree, the former king’s office and federal lawyers have now confirmed the royal document was issued.

According to a Reuters report, the Supreme Court will deliver its verdict today, four days before Najib announces its decision in the biggest case he faces over the scandal at 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a state fund he co-founded in 2009.

On December 26, the court will decide whether Najib will also be found guilty of four corruption charges and 21 money laundering charges linked to the illegal movement of nearly 2.2 billion ringgit ($538.69 million) from 1MDB. Conviction could lead to a prison sentence of up to 20 years for each count, as well as a fine of up to five times the amount allegedly misappropriated.

Any result in Najib’s favor could trigger a public backlash, especially among supporters of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, who took office in 2022 with a strong anti-corruption mandate. While Anwar has stated that he does not interfere in judicial processes, the prime minister’s appointment of the prosecutor general has long raised concerns about the independence of this role.

Authorities in Malaysia and the United States claimed that at least $4.5 billion was withdrawn from 1MDB between 2009 and 2014, while more than $1 billion was transferred to accounts linked to Najib. In 2022, he became the first former Malaysian prime minister to be jailed after exhausting all legal appeals.

Following his party’s defeat in the 2018 election, Najib issued an apology last year for failures to address the 1MDB affair during his tenure. But he has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, claiming he was deceived by fugitive financier Jho Low and other senior figures linked to 1MDB about the source of the funds.