Malaysia’s former Prime Minister, Najib Razak,72, has been convicted in his second major trial tied to the multibillion-dollar 1MDB corruption scandal.

On Friday, December 26, 2025, the Kuala Lumpur High Court found the former leader guilty of 21 counts of money laundering and four counts of abuse of power regarding the illicit movement of 2.2 billion Malaysian ringgit ($543 million) from the state-owned sovereign wealth fund into his private bank accounts.

“The contention by the accused that the charges against him were a witch hunt and politically motivated was debunked by the cold, hard and incontrovertible evidence against him that pointed towards the accused having abused ‍his own powerful position in ⁠1MDB, coupled with the extensive powers conferred upon him,” Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah said in his verdict.

Also Read: Trump Confirms U.S. Air Strike on ISIL Targets in Nigeria

The former prime minister is already incarcerated, serving a sentence at Kajang Prison following his 2020 conviction in the SRC International case, a separate legal battle tied to the 1MDB scandal.

The verdict follows an exhaustive legal process spanning seven years and including testimony from 76 witnesses, finally concluding the largest and most complex trial in the series of 1MDB-related prosecutions.

Bridget Welsh, who spoke to Al Jazeera, said that his case took delays because financial crimes are multi-layered, making it hard to be decided early.

“The trial has had a lot of delays, and it’s a very complicated thing to understand,” said Bridget Welsh, an honorary research associate with the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia.

He added, “These financial crimes are multi-layered, and it’s been a long, extensive process.”

Rosmah Manso,r the wife of the ex-Malaysian prime minister

Also Read: 10 Festive Related Books and Novels to Read in December

In 2022, Rosmah Mansor, the wife of the ex-Malaysian prime minister, was sentenced to ten years in prison on each of three bribery charges.

She was found guilty on three charges of soliciting and receiving bribes to help a company win a 1.25bn ringgit ($279m, £240m) project.

The High Court said the jail terms would run concurrently.

This came days after her husband began serving a 12-year jail sentence for corruption.

The 70-year-old was known for her love of luxury goods and jewellery. When Malaysian police raided the couple’s properties in 2018, they found a $1.6m gold and diamond necklace, 14 tiaras, and 272 Hermes bags.

Follow our WhatsApp Channel and WhatsApp Community for instant news updates

Najib Razak is already serving a six-year jail sentence for a separate case of embezzlement related to 1MDB