Malaysian ex-PM Najib’s 12-year jail sentence upheld in 1MDB-linked case, says appeal court
- The three judges ruled that Najib’s activities linked to SRC International were not in the ‘national interest’ as he claimed but were a ‘national embarrassment’
- Najib, who has seen a sharp resurgence in clout of late, was granted bail and a stay of execution pending an appeal to the country’s highest court
The three-judge Court of Appeal ruled that the High Court’s decision to convict Najib of all seven counts in the trial last July was correct, and upheld the 12-year jail term and 210 million ringgit (US$49.7 million) fine he was handed.
Najib’s activities linked to SRC International – a now-defunct subsidiary of the 1MDB state fund – were not in the “national interest” as claimed by the former prime minister, but represented a “national embarrassment”, the judges said.
The case involves losses suffered at SRC International, for which Najib faced three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money laundering, and one count of abuse of power.
Najib, who appeared in the hearing via video link, looked sombre and took notes as judges read a summary of their 316-page verdict.
The 68-year-old politician will appeal the verdict, which will send the case to the country’s highest judicial body, the Federal Court. By past precedent, it will take months – possibly more than a year – before the case is heard by the top court.