KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s High Court has added 15 years to former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s prison term, in a major decision tied to the long-running 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) corruption case. The ruling is the latest step in a scandal that has shaken Malaysia for years and drawn attention from regulators and courts worldwide.
On December 26, 2025, Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah handed down his decision after a trial that ran for more than seven years and took over 300 hearing days. Najib, 72, who is already in prison, was convicted on four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering.
The case involved about RM2.3 billion (around US$568 million) taken from 1MDB.
The judge set 15 years in prison for each abuse of power charge and five years for each money laundering charge. All the sentences will run at the same time. In practice, the decision adds 15 years to Najib’s current term.
That extra time will start once his existing sentence ends. Najib is serving a six-year term that was reduced from 12 years after a partial pardon in 2024. That sentence is due to finish in 2028.
The court also ordered a fine of RM11.4 billion (about US$2.8 billion), calculated as five times the benefits linked to the abuse of power charges. If the fine is not paid, Najib could face more jail time. The judge also ordered the recovery of RM2.08 billion in assets tied to the laundered money.
How 1MDB became a global scandal
Najib set up 1MDB in 2009, soon after becoming prime minister. The fund was meant to support national development through large investments. Instead, it became linked to one of the biggest financial scandals in recent history.
Investigators in Malaysia and the United States have said at least US$4.5 billion was misappropriated from 1MDB between 2009 and 2014. The money moved through offshore structures, shell firms, and fake deals. It was later used for luxury purchases, political spending, and even Hollywood projects, including The Wolf of Wall Street.
Prosecutors placed fugitive financier Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low, at the centre of the scheme. They described him as Najib’s “proxy, conduit, intermediary, and facilitator”. Low has been charged in several places but remains on the run. Prosecutors say he helped organise the movement of funds with support from senior figures.
In this case, the court heard evidence that large sums entered Najib’s personal AmBank accounts in stages from 2011 to 2014. This included the widely reported US$681 million transfer in 2013, traced to 1MDB-linked sources through Tanore Finance Corporation.
Najib Razak’s claims, and the judge’s response
Najib Razak denied wrongdoing throughout the trial. He said the money in his accounts was a lawful donation from the late Saudi King Abdullah. He also argued that advisers and former 1MDB officials misled him, including Jho Low.
His legal team said he was tricked about where the funds came from. During sentencing, his lead lawyer, Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, asked the court to show leniency, pointing to Najib’s years in public office and his health.
Justice Sequerah rejected the defence in strong terms during a verdict reading that lasted about five hours. He said the “Arab donation” story did not stand up, citing forged letters and a lack of supporting proof. The judge said Najib Razak was not an innocent figure who could be easily misled, given his roles as prime minister, finance minister, and chair of 1MDB’s advisory board, positions that placed him at the top of key decisions.
The court also pointed to what it called a clear bond between Najib Razak and Jho Low. The judge referred to evidence from more than 76 witnesses, including bankers and 1MDB insiders. Claims that the case was driven by politics were dismissed as being contradicted by the evidence presented in court.
Earlier convictions, and what happens next
The latest conviction follows Najib Razak’s earlier case linked to SRC International, a former 1MDB unit. In 2020, he was sentenced to 12 years for misappropriating RM42 million. It was the first time Malaysia jailed a former leader for corruption. In 2024, the Pardons Board, led by the then-king, reduced that sentence to six years.
Just before the new ruling, on December 22, 2025, another court rejected Najib’s attempt to serve the rest of his SRC sentence under house arrest. The court said there was not enough evidence to support the claim of a royal addendum.
Najib Razak’s wife, Rosmah Mansor, was convicted in a separate graft case in 2022 involving bribery. She remains on bail while her appeal continues.
The 1MDB story first broke widely in 2015 and sparked public anger. It played a major part in the defeat of Najib’s Barisan Nasional coalition in the 2018 election, ending its six-decade hold on power.
Even from prison, Najib still has supporters inside the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), which now sits in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s unity government. On the day of the verdict, supporters gathered outside the Putrajaya court and criticised the outcome.
Some analysts say the sentence could add pressure inside the coalition, as Najib’s legal troubles remain a sensitive topic for parts of UMNO. In a statement read by his lawyer, Najib said he would appeal and framed the fight as one about “justice and the rule of law”.
A case with global fallout
The 1MDB scandal spread well beyond Malaysia. Goldman Sachs, which helped raise money through 1MDB bonds, agreed to pay billions in settlements tied to the case. Former bankers have also been jailed. Authorities in the United States recovered assets linked to the misappropriated funds, including yachts and artworks.
With Najib Razak returning to Kajang Prison, the 1MDB case continues to shape Malaysia’s politics and its anti-corruption push. More appeals are expected, but the High Court’s decision marks a major moment in a case that has defined an era.
