Malaysia ex-PM Najib begins 12-year jail sentence after failing to overturn 1MDB conviction
PUTRAJAYA - Malaysia's former premier Najib Razak on Tuesday (Aug 23) failed in his final appeal against a graft conviction, and has been sent to prison to serve 12 years for misappropriating millions of dollars from a company linked to 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
Malaysia's highest court, the Federal Court, on Tuesday upheld Najib's conviction on seven counts of abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust involving SRC International, a company that was a subsidiary of state fund 1MDB.
“We were told he has been taken to Kajang Prison, south of the capital Kuala Lumpur,” Ms Nur Sharmila Shaheen, his daughter-in-law, told Agence France-Presse.
In July 2020, Najib, 69, was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million (S$65.3 million), after being found guilty of receiving about RM42 million from SRC International in his personal bank account.
The verdict was upheld by a three-member Court of Appeal in December last year. But he was allowed to post bail and live freely, pending his appeal, allowing him to make a political comeback and play an influential role in his party Umno.
The five-member Federal Court bench led by Chief Justice Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat ruled against Najib on Tuesday, after a week in which his defence team - which saw a revolving door of lawyers - refused to make any written or oral submissions in defence of their client.
Tengku Maimun said the defence was inconsistent and had failed to raise a reasonable doubt.
"These appeals are therefore unanimously dismissed and the conviction and sentence are affirmed," she said before adjourning the proceedings.
The other Federal Court bench members were Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Abang Iskandar Abang Hashim, and senior judges P. Nallini, Mary Lim Thiam Suan, and Mohamad Zabidin Mohd Diah.
Earlier on Tuesday, Najib failed in a last minute bid to recuse the Chief Justice from chairing the panel hearing the appeal, citing a Facebook post made by her husband Zamani Ibrahim in 2018, in which he criticised Najib's leadership.
Najib, who cut a forlorn figure throughout the proceedings, resorted to seeking several adjournments and making applications outside of the main appeal in order to delay the court hearing since it began last week.
His defence team opted to rely on their adjournment attempts instead of making any fresh arguments - citing a lack of preparation.
Najib had seen lawyers from five firms represent him throughout the hearing that convened for five days - with him discharging one of them after just three days in court.
On Tuesday alone, lawyers from three firms wanted to represent him.
Apart from lead counsel Mr Hisyam Teh Poh Teik, Mr Shafee Abdullah and Mr Firoz Jamaluddin both appeared midway through hearings, asking for adjournments in order to make fresh arguments on the recusal application. But the judges rejected both of their requests and pushed on with the appeal.
Before the bench delivered its decision, Najib addressed the court and asked for another two months for his new lawyers to prepare his appeal.
He was seated in the dock when the decision was read out. His wife Rosmah Mansor, who also faces graft charges in an unrelated case, and his three children were seated behind him.
The case is one of Najib's first five trials. He faces other charges involving funds of 1MDB and other government bodies, as well as allegations of audit tampering. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Najib was taken into police custody right after the verdict was delivered, with the panel of judges rejecting an attempt by his lawyers to stay or mitigate the sentence.
Najib’s jail sentence rules him out as a candidate for Malaysia’s next general elections, which is due by September 2023, but widely expected latest by the first half of next year.
He has been a MP in the Malaysian Parliament for over four decades - since 1976.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now