A Malaysian court has upheld former leader Najib Razak’s guilty verdict from the first of a series of trials linked to troubled state fund 1MDB, with a judge referring to his actions as a "national embarrassment.”
Najib failed to overturn his 12-year prison sentence after the Court of Appeal affirmed Wednesday that he was guilty of all seven charges in the case, which involved 42 million ringgit ($10 million) of funds belonging to SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB. He immediately applied for a stay of execution that would keep him out of jail while he appeals to Malaysia’s highest court.
Najib’s interest in SRC went beyond his public office, Judge Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil said, reading a 200-page judgement. "We are in full agreement that Najib knew that funds entering his personal accounts are proceeds from unlawful activities,” he said, rejecting the former prime minister’s claims his actions were taking in the national interest.