A Malaysian court has ruled that the 15-year jail sentence imposed on former prime minister Najib Razak in connection with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal will not be suspended.
Although a royal pardon related to house arrest has given him the option of serving time under house arrest, the court found that there are no special legal grounds to suspend enforcement of the prison term linked to the major embezzlement from the 1MDB fund.
Najib has been serving the sentence since 2022 after being convicted of abuse of power and money laundering involving the state investment fund he established in 2009. In December last year he was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to pay a fine of 2.8 billion dollars.
His lawyers had sought a temporary suspension citing his declining health and the size of the unpaid fine. Judge Nur Ruwayna Muhamad Noor ruled that no such special circumstances existed and that the seriousness of the crime and the public interest must take priority. Najib’s lawyer said the decision would be appealed to a higher court.
US investigators have said more than 4.5 billion dollars was misappropriated from the 1MDB fund, with over one billion dollars traced to accounts linked to Najib. He has continued to deny knowledge of the origin of the funds.
The royal pardon reduced an earlier fine and allowed the possibility of house arrest, but the new 15-year term is due to begin after the house-arrest period ends in August 2028. His party has launched a fundraising campaign because his bank accounts remain frozen.