Former Malaysian PM Sentenced to 15 Years in Jail, Fined Billions

Kathmandu, . The High Court of Malaysia has sentenced former Prime Minister Najib Razak to 15 years in prison on four counts of abuse of power in a case related to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.

The court also imposed a fine of 11.4 billion ringgit (2.82 billion U.S. dollars), which is five times the amount of gratification involved in the charges.

Additionally, for 21 separate money laundering charges, Najib has been sentenced to five years in jail for each count. However, no fine was imposed for the money laundering charges.

Presiding Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah ordered that all jail sentences are to run concurrently.

Najib had previously been sentenced in July 2020 to 12 years in prison and fined 210 million ringgit (44.4 million dollars) for abuse of power related to SRC International, a former subsidiary of the state investment fund 1MDB.

In February of last year, his sentence was reduced from 12 years to 6 years, and his fine was lowered to 50 million ringgit (10.6 million dollars).

The 1MDB scandal is a globally notorious case involving allegations of billions of dollars gone missing. This case has caused major upheaval in Malaysian politics.