Malaysia's former prime minister Najib Razak (2R) leaves after his verdict in the 1MDB trial at the Palace of Justice, which houses the Malaysian Court of Appeal and Federal Court, in Putrajaya on December 26, 2025. (Photo by Mohd RASFAN / AFP)
Putrajaya, Malaysia: A Malaysian judge sentenced former prime minister Najib Razak to 15 more years in jail on Friday after convicting him of abuse of power and money laundering in a sovereign wealth fund graft scandal.
Najib was also fined 11.4 billion ringgit ($2.8 billion) for his role in the plunder of billions from the now-defunct 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) more than a decade ago.
He is already serving a six-year term after being convicted in a separate 1MDB case, and Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah said Najib's latest term would begin only after that sentence was completed.
Sequerah convicted the 72-year-old former leader on all four counts of abuse of power as well as all 21 counts of money laundering, involving around 2.28 billion ringgit ($554 million) from the fund.
Najib, dressed in a navy blue suit and white shirt, was seen looking down, slumped in his seat as the judge read the verdict after a marathon eight-hour hearing.
The son of one of Malaysia's founding fathers, Najib was groomed for leadership from a young age but fell from power spectacularly as public anger mounted over the corruption scandal.
Investigations under successive governments have ensnared him and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, in graft allegations since his loss in 2018 elections.
Prosecutors say Najib abused his positions as prime minister, finance minister and 1MDB advisory board chairman to move vast sums from the fund into his personal accounts.
According to investigators, proceeds from the fund were used to bankroll high-end real estate, a luxury yacht and precious artworks, including a Monet and a Van Gogh.
