Najib Razak Gets 15 Years After 1MDB Conviction

Overview

• A Malaysian court found the former prime minister guilty on four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering tied to 1MDB.
• Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah imposed a 15-year prison term after a verdict that covered roughly $554 million moved from the fund.
• The court rejected Najib’s claim that deposits were Saudi royal donations, calling the evidence against him cold, hard and incontestable.
• The ruling underscored Najib’s close ties to fugitive financier Jho Low, who faces U.S. charges in the case and denies wrongdoing.
• Najib remains incarcerated from a separate 1MDB-related conviction, and a recent denial of his house-arrest request has sharpened rifts within the governing alliance.