THE High Court in Putrajaya on Friday imposed heavy prison sentences and record financial penalties on jailed former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, bringing to a close the largest and most consequential trial arising from the 1Malaysia Development Berhad corruption scandal.
The sentence marks a defining moment in the country’s anti-corruption efforts and is expected to reverberate across the political landscape.
Presiding judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah sentenced Najib to 15 years’ imprisonment on each of the four abuse of power charges, with all jail terms ordered to run concurrently.
Najib was also fined RM11.38 billion, equivalent to five times the total amount misappropriated. Failure to pay the fine would result in an additional 10 years’ imprisonment.
“All the sentences are to run concurrently with each other and shall only commence at the expiration of the prison sentence in the SRC case,” The Edge reported Sequerah saying as he delivered his ruling.
On the 21 money laundering charges, the court imposed a sentence of five years’ imprisonment for each count, also to run concurrently with one another and to begin only after Najib completes his existing prison term in the SRC International case.
“It is to run concurrently with each other,” the judge said.
Sequerah told the court he had considered both mitigating factors raised by the defence and aggravating factors advanced by the prosecution.
While he declined to elaborate on his reasoning at the sentencing hearing, he said the full grounds would be set out in a written judgment.
“I have taken into account the rank of the accused and all other factors,” the judge said.
Earlier on Friday, the High Court found Najib guilty on four counts of abuse of power and 21 charges of money laundering, concluding that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt in the largest trial to stem from the 1MDB scandal.
Investigators in Malaysia and the United States have said at least US$4.5 billion was stolen from the state fund, with more than US$1 billion allegedly flowing into accounts linked to Najib.
Sequerah rejected Najib’s claim that the case was politically motivated, citing “cold, hard and incontrovertible evidence” of abuse of power.
The court also dismissed Najib’s defence that the funds were donations from Saudi Arabia, ruling that the money was in fact derived from 1MDB and pointing to Najib’s close links with fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, or Jho Low.
The sentencing comes as Najib is already serving a reduced prison term following an earlier conviction linked to SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB.
A recent court decision rejecting his bid to serve the remainder of that sentence under house arrest has further heightened tensions within Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s governing coalition.
Following the sentencing, Sequerah ordered the return of Najib’s bail money. The prosecution did not object, noting that there was no application for a stay of execution of the sentence.
Meanwhile, Najib’s lead counsel, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said on record that the prosecution’s non-objection was “with liberty to apply for a stay”.
He also requested that the court order be prepared by Monday to allow the defence to file an appeal.
“We will endeavour to get it ready. Thanks to all parties. The court is adjourned,” Sequerah said. December 26, 2025
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