Malaysian Ex-PM Najib Razak jail for 12 years| 1MDB Fraud Case-News

Breaking news!! Malaysian sixth Prime Minster Najib Razak is sentenced to 12 years. Razak became the first higher official to be jailed-news.

Malaysian Chief justice Rejected Najib Razak’s Bail

Malaysia’s veteran Prime Minister Najib Rajak is going to jail for a 12-year sentence after the top court failed to give him bail on his 1MDB money laundering charge appeal.

Two years ago, Rajak was convicted but got bail during his appeal. But now court denied his request to delay his sentence and rejected his plea for fraud of wealth fund.

Veteran Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak walks out from the Federal court on August 23, 2022. Source: Reuters

In July 2020, the top court of Malaysia found his involvement in a total of 42 million Ringgit ($9.4 million) approximately transferred into his private accounts from a unit of 1MDB fund. On 23 August 2022, Tuesday, he received a 12 years jail sentence and a penalty worth 210 million ringgits ($46.8 million).

However, his team presented that the fund was not used from the state fund; it was a donation that came from the Saudi royal family. The defense team also criticized the chief justice for her husband’s biased Facebook post back in 2018.

But, in her verdict, the chief of justice declined his request. On the other hand, she joined the office before his allegation. According to BBC News, she said a five-judge panel unanimously found his involvement in a fraud case.

Not only Razak but also his wife, Rosmah Manson, faced allegations regarding tax evasion and money laundering, to which she did not plead guilty. It is the first time in the history of Malaysia that a high-profile political figure is going to jail.

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Najib Razak 1MDB Involvement

Former Prime Minister Najib Razak created a development fund 1MDB in 2009 shortly after taking power. His fraud case inspection department allegedly said at least $4.5 billion was stolen and laundered by Razak and his associates.

In 2020, he was found conviction of abusing power, breaching trust, and money laundering for illegal money of $9.4 million from a former unit of 1MDB- SRC International. 

Who is Najib Razak?

Mohammad Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak aka Najib Rajak is a former Prime Minister of Malaysia. He served as the country’s sixth prime minister from April 2009- May 2018. Razak is the son of former prime minister Abdul Razak Hussein.

Najib is a United Malays National Organization (UMNO) member and served as the party’s president for nine years from 2009-2018.

He studied BA with an industrial economics major at the University of Nottingham, London.

He has a long history in Malaysian politics. Razak became a member of parliament at the young age of 23 after his father deceased. He handled Education Ministry and Defense Ministry before becoming PM of Malaysia.

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