Dec 26, Kathmandu - Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has been found guilty of abuse of power in the 1MDB corruption case. He has also been found guilty of 21 charges related to money laundering. He is already serving a prison sentence in a separate case related to the 1MDB funds.

Najib was the prime minister from 2009 to 2018. In 2020, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison for various charges, including abuse of power. The prison term was later reduced to 6 years. There is a possibility that the sentence will increase after the new conviction.

The high court found Najib, 72, guilty of four charges related to abuse of power and 21 charges related to money laundering over the transfer of more than $700 million from 1MDB funds to his personal bank account.

Najib has denied the corruption allegations. He says the funds were political donations from Saudi Arabia and that he was misled by financiers led by businessman Low Taek Jho. But the judge found that argument unconvincing.

The judge said the evidence clearly showed the funds originated from 1MDB. He also rejected the defense's claim that Najib was defrauded by former 1MDB officials and Low Taek Jho.

On the contrary, the judge said that the witness statements showed an unbreakable relationship between Najib and Jho, and that Jho, who played a key role in the scandal, acted as a proxy, conduit, intermediary and facilitator for Najib at 1MDB.

According to the ruling, Najib failed to take the necessary steps to investigate where the huge sums of money in his accounts came from. He neither took any action against Jho nor admitted to using the money despite the dubious source. On the contrary, he is accused of trying to protect his position by removing the then anti-corruption chief and the attorney-general who were investigating the case.