A Malaysian court has delivered a major new blow to former prime minister Najib Razak, reinforcing the message that even the most powerful figures are not beyond the law.
On December 26, 2025, Najib was found guilty on 25 charges of abuse of power and money laundering, marking his latest convictions for his role in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal. He was sentenced to 15 years in jail for each of the abuse of power charges, and five years' jail for each of the money laundering charge. He was also fined $2.8 billion for the abuse of power charges.
The ruling comes as Najib is already serving a prison sentence linked to earlier 1MDB convictions. Just days earlier, on December 22, the High Court rejected Najib’s bid to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest, instead confirming that he must serve it from jail.
What the Latest Ruling Means for Najib and Malaysia
In a sharply worded decision, the judge said Najib stood at the
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