Malaysia Court Upholds Guilty Verdict for Former PM Najib

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Deputy prosecutor V. Sithambaram told reporters after the verdict that Najib’s appeal process at the top court could take up to 9 months.

Wearing a black suit, Najib showed no emotion as the judgment was read out and was seen taking notes occasionally during the hearing.

US and Malaysian authorities say $4.5 billion was believed to have been stolen from 1MDB, and that more than $1 billion made its way into Najib’s personal accounts.

Najib faces a total of 42 criminal charges and five trials, including the SRC case.

He remains influential within his party, which was voted out three years earlier amid widespread corruption allegations.

He has also been eyeing a political comeback, telling Reuters in September that he has not ruled out seeking re-election to parliament, a move that would require his conviction to be overturned.

Source: Reuters