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Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak has been found guilty in the high-profile 1MDB case, in which RM2.3 billion was deposited into his bank account
In a judgment today, 26 December, Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah ruled that Najib is guilty of four counts related to abuse of power linked to the case, reported Malaysiakini.
He said the defence had failed to raise reasonable doubt against the prosecution's case.
"I, therefore, convicted the accused under the first charge under Section 23 of the MACC Act," Sequerah said.
Sequerah is now deliberating his judgment on the remaining charges.
Before the verdict earlier today, Justice Sequerah said he would only present the broad grounds of judgment, with the full written grounds to be released in due course
Addressing Najib's so-called "Arab donation defence", the judge said Najib had testified that he merely assumed the funds deposited into his personal bank accounts came from the late Saudi King Abdullah, reported The Star.
However, the judge noted that no verification was ever conducted to confirm the source of the funds.
Justice Sequerah also pointed out that there was no acknowledgement or confirmation from Najib's side regarding four purported letters, allegedly from Saudi Arabia, which were cited as evidence of the donation.
He described the letters as "forgeries".
On the involvement of Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, the judge found an "unmistakable bond" between Najib and the fugitive financier.
Based on witness testimony, he said Low maintained communication with 1MDB's management and issued instructions on Najib's authority.
The court further noted that Low, Terence Geh, and Nik Faisal Ariff Kamil — all central figures in the 1MDB scandal — could not be located and were considered to be in hiding.
As a result, they were charged in absentia, with the judge finding no reason to depart from earlier findings made at the close of the prosecution's case.
As for Datuk Azlin Alias, Najib's former principal private secretary, Justice Sequerah said it was a matter of public knowledge that Azlin died in a helicopter crash.
The court accepted this as satisfying the requirements under the Evidence Act, establishing that Azlin was deceased and therefore unavailable as a witness.
At 8.25am today, about 50 supporters appeared outside the Palace of Justice, Putrajaya to show support for the sixth prime minister, chanting "Hidup Bossku" as he arrived, reported the New Straits Times.
In July 2020, Najib was sentenced to 12 years in jail on seven charges in relation to the SRC International case, a sentence that was later halved by the Pardons Board
Since it was exposed in 2015, the 1MDB scandal has triggered investigations around the world, from neighbouring Singapore to Europe and the US.
Two Goldman Sachs bankers were convicted in the US. The bank's former Southeast Asia chairman, Tim Leissner, was sentenced to two years in prison after agreeing to cooperate with investigators, while the former Malaysian managing director, Roger Ng, received a 10-year jail sentence.
The case received global attention over the past decade for several reasons, including the siphoned funds being used to purchase a USD35 million (RM142 million) Monet painting and a USD5.5 million (RM22 million) Van Gogh painting.
Several celebrities also received gifts purchased with the stolen funds, including a USD3.2 million (RM13.87 million) Pablo Picasso painting to Leonardo DiCaprio and a grand transparent piano to Australian model Miranda Kerr.
Tens of millions of dollars were also used by Najib's stepson, Riza Aziz, to fund the Hollywood film The Wolf of Wall Street, starring DiCaprio.
On Monday, 22 December, Najib's bid for house arrest failed after the High Court dismissed his judicial review application.
He appeared visibly disappointed following the decision and was returned to Kajang Prison to serve the remainder of his sentence.
