KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s top court on Friday dismissed a bid by jailed former prime minister Najib Razak to seek a review of his corruption conviction over the multi-billion dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB.
Najib was jailed last year after Malaysia’s Federal Court upheld a guilty verdict and 12-year prison sentence handed down to him by a lower court.
This was Najib’s last chance to challenge the verdict in court. Najib has also applied for a pardon from Malaysia’s king. If successful, he could be released without serving the full 12-year term.
Investigators have said some $4.5 billion was stolen from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) – co-founded by Najib during his first year as prime minister in 2009 – and that more than $1 billion went to accounts linked to Najib.
Najib, 69, was charged after he lost a general election in 2018.
He was found guilty by a high court 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.
The former premier has consistently pleaded not guilty.
Last month, Najib was
acquitted
of audit tampering in a separate case linked to 1MDB. He remains on trial in three other cases related to graft at the fund and other government agencies. (Reporting by Rozanna Latiff Editing by Ed Davies)
