Malaysia’s top court said Friday it will not review its 2022 graft conviction of former Prime Minister Najib Razak on charges stemming from the multi-billion-dollar scandal at state fund 1 Malaysia Development Berhad or 1MDB.
Najib’s legal maneuvering on Friday was his last legal recourse, but he has, however, applied for a royal pardon, which, if granted, would have him out of prison without serving his full 12-year term.
Najib’s legal woes began after investigators discovered that $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB, during Najib’s first year in office, with more than $1 billion going to accounts linked to him. Najib is the co-founder of 1MDB.
Najib was found guilty in 2020 of criminal breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering for illegally receiving about $10 million from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB. He lost all his appeals.
Some material in this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.
