Jailed Malaysian Ex-PM Najib Loses Bid for Overview of Graft Conviction

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia’s high court docket on Friday dismissed a bid by jailed former prime minister Najib Razak to hunt a assessment of his corruption conviction over the multi-billion greenback scandal at state fund 1MDB.

Najib was jailed final 12 months after Malaysia’s Federal Courtroom upheld a responsible verdict and 12-year jail sentence handed all the way down to him by a decrease court docket.

This was Najib’s final probability to problem the decision in court docket. Najib has additionally utilized for a pardon from Malaysia’s king. If profitable, he might be launched with out serving the total 12-year time period.

Investigators have mentioned some $4.5 billion was stolen from 1Malaysia Growth Berhad (1MDB) – co-founded by Najib throughout his first 12 months as prime minister in 2009 – and that greater than $1 billion went to accounts linked to Najib.

Najib, 69, was charged after he misplaced a basic election in 2018.

He was discovered responsible by a excessive court docket in 2020 of legal breach of belief, abuse of energy and cash laundering for illegally receiving about $10 million from SRC Worldwide, a former unit of 1MDB. He misplaced all his appeals.

The previous premier has persistently pleaded not responsible.

Final month, Najib was acquitted of audit tampering in a separate case linked to 1MDB. He stays on trial in three different circumstances associated to graft on the fund and different authorities businesses.

(Reporting by Rozanna Latiff; Modifying by Ed Davies)

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