Abuse of power

December 27, 2025

Malaysia’s former prime minister Najib Razak has been found guilty again in a major 1MDB corruption case, this time in what has become the largest and most significant trial tied to the scandal that rocked the country and triggered global investigations. The Kuala Lumpur High Court ruled that Najib abused his power and engaged in extensive money laundering linked to the multibillion-dollar 1Malaysia Development Berhad state fund.

The case centres on allegations that more than 2.3 billion ringgit was funneled into bank accounts associated with him, a charge he has long denied. The court heard that at least $4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB during its peak years, and over $1 billion is alleged to have found its way into accounts linked to Najib.

The judge rejected Najib’s defence that these were legitimate political donations and instead found the evidence showed deliberate misuse of his powerful positions as prime minister, finance minister and chairman of 1MDB’s advisory board. The defence narrative, including letters purporting to show funds were gifts from foreign royals, was dismissed by the court as implausible or forged.

This conviction adds to a legal saga that has already seen Najib imprisoned since 2022 after a previous conviction in a separate 1MDB-related case. In that earlier trial, he was sentenced to 12 years in jail for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving tens of millions of ringgit from a 1MDB unit. That sentence was later reduced, but he has remained behind bars and subject to ongoing legal battles. The new guilty verdict underscores the scale and complexity of the 1MDB scandal, involving layers of financial transactions and fast-moving international inquiries.