A Malaysian appeals court ratified on Wednesday (8) the 12-year sentence of former Prime Minister Najib Razak for the corruption scandal of the 1MDB fund, which caused the fall of his government in 2018.
“We reject the plaintiff’s appeal,” said Judge Abdul Karim Abdul of the Court of Appeals in the administrative capital of Putrajaya. “We confirm the High Court’s conviction on the seven counts,” he added.
The former prime minister intends to present a last resort to the country’s main court and will remain free on bail until the end of the process.
The 68-year-old politician was found guilty last year of all charges brought in the first trial linked to the case of sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a fraud with ramifications in several countries.
Najib and his team were accused of stealing millions of dollars from the investment fund to spend on everything from luxury real estate to fine art.
The first judgment focused on transferring 42 million ringits ($9.9 million) from the fund to Najib’s bank accounts.
The amount is small compared to that linked to the second trial in the 1MDB scandal, centered on accusations that he had illegally obtained more than 500 million dollars.
The former head of government appealed to the Court of Appeals against the sentence, which attributed to Najib the crimes of abuse of power, money laundering and abuse of trust, among others. He was also sentenced to pay a $50 million fine.
Judge Karim rejected Najib’s defense arguments that the defendant believed the money was a donation from the Saudi monarchy.
In the ruling, the judge claims that the former prime minister’s actions are “a national disgrace” and that he had “knowledge of the 42 million ringits (deposited) in his account and dishonestly made fraudulent use” of the amount.
The magistrate accepted Najib’s request to remain at large while preparing the last resort.
Neither the defendant nor his lawyers appeared in court for sentencing and followed the hearing online after a member of his legal team tested positive for covid-19.
The scandal played a major role in the surprising 2018 election defeat of Najib Razak’s governing coalition, which came to power in 2009 and is still hugely popular.
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