FORMER Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak was found guilty on Friday of abusing his power to plunder millions from the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund and launder the proceeds.
His sentencing, expected later on Friday, is likely to heap years onto the six-year term he is already serving for a separate case related to the now-defunct state investment vehicle.
Presiding Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah convicted the 72-year-old former leader on all four counts of abuse of power, as well as all 21 counts of money laundering, involving around 2.28 billion ringgit ($554 million) from the fund.
Najib, dressed in a navy blue suit and white shirt, was seen looking down, slumped in his seat as the judge read the verdict. While Najib, the son of one of the country’s founding fathers, was groomed for leadership from a young age, he experienced a spectacular fall from power as public anger mounted over the corruption scandal.
Since his 2018 election loss, investigations under successive governments have ensnared him and his wife Rosmah Mansor in graft allegations.
AFP
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