After a lengthy trial over the corrupted use of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) funds, Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak has been deemed guilty, and his appeal has failed.
He will serve his 12 years of imprisonment and has already been taken to Kajang Prison.
Transferred RM42 Million from 1MDB to Personal Accounts
If you’ve forgotten what this case is about, here’s a recap.
Najib served as Malaysia’s prime minister from 2009 to 2018. In 2014 and 2015, he transferred RM42 million from SRC International into his personal bank accounts. SRC International is a former subsidiary of 1MDB.
In July 2020, the High Court found him guilty on three counts of criminal breach of trust, three counts of money laundering, and one count of abuse of power. He was sentenced to 12 years in jail and fined RM210 million then.
This sentencing was upheld by the Court of Appeal on 8 December 2021. However, Najib decided to file a petition of appeal to the Federal Court on 25 April 2022, in a final bid to overturn the conviction.
Court Says No To New Evidence Submission, Recusing Chief Justice
On 15 August, Najib tried to submit new evidence in his appeal. This was shut down unanimously by the five-man bench on 16 August.
Najib then tried to adjourn the final appeal hearing, but that was also rejected. In a final bid to not go to jail, Najib tried to recuse Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat from overseeing his final appeal.
To recuse the Chief Justice means challenging her qualifications to oversee this case due to a potential conflict of interest, or lack of impartiality. Najib’s lawyers cited a social media post by the Chief Justice’s husband in 2018, which expressed negative sentiments toward Najib’s leadership, as the main reason to recuse her.
However, the bench dismissed the application. According to the Chief Justice, there is no connection between her husband’s 2018 post and Najib’s appeal.
Sent to Prison Almost Immediately After The Sentencing
After all of Najib’s attempts to delay the hearing failed, the court proceeded to state their decision: they dismissed Najib’s appeal to overturn the jail term and the RM210 million fine.
“On the totality of the evidence, we find the conviction of the appellant on all seven charges safe. We also find that the sentence imposed is not manifestly excessive. These appeals are therefore unanimously dismissed and the conviction and sentence are affirmed.”
According to AFP, Najib’s daughter-in-law shared that he was sent to Kajang Prison, at the south of Kuala Lumpur, shortly after the court announced their verdict.
Featured Image: Facebook (Najib Razak)