Here’s What Is Happening Now In The 1MDB-Najib Saga

Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter, or Telegram and WhatsApp channels for the latest stories and updates.

---

The infamous Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, former sixth Prime Minister of Malaysia, is known for many things. Most of them are not good things, but that’s what makes him such a storied individual in Malaysia’s history so far.

Yesterday (2 December), Najib was in court to defend himself against 25 criminal charges in the 1Malaysia Development Board (1MDB) trial.

If you’ve been out of the loop or simply forgot what this man had done to single-handedly anger the government and so many people, Najib got into hot soup when around US$681 million (RM2 billion) of alleged 1MDB funds entered his personal AmIslamic bank account.

However, the reason he was jailed was because he was convicted in a separate case for abusing his position at the 1MDB-linked SRC International Sdn Bhd involving RM42 million.

Crash course on Najib’s 1MDB trial

Back in 2018, Najib was charged for abusing his roles as prime minister, finance minister, and 1MDB’s board of advisers’ chairman over 1MDB matters for his own benefit amounting to RM2.27 billion, as well as money laundering over RM2 billion belonging to 1MDB.

The 1MDB trial began in August 2019 with multiple disruptions along the way. One of the reasons being the Covid-19 pandemic.

Over five years of trial until May 30, 2024, the prosecution brought 50 prosecution witnessses and evidence, such as banking documents.

Some of the prosecution witnesses included Najib’s former special officers, various banks’ former and current officers, a former Bank Negara Malaysia governor, a former finance minister II, and a former chief secretary to the government.

Then, on 30 October, the High Court ordered Najib to to enter his defence, as it found the prosecution had shown credible evidence he must rebut if he doesn’t want to be found guilty of the 25 charges.

He was given the choice to either testify on oath in the witness stand, remain silent (which would automatically result in a conviction), or give an unsworn statement from the accused’s dock (which would be given less value by the court).

Najib chose to testify in the witness stand that day.

Here’s what will happen after Najib and his defence witnesses testify

Najib will have to sum up his defence, with his lawyers and and the prosecution to present their final arguments to the High Court.

If the High Court decides Najib has cast reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case, he will be acquitted of the charges.

Conversely, if the High Court finds the prosecution’s case is proved beyond reasonable doubt, he will be found guilty and sentenced.

All this will only come after Najib concludes his defence.

The High Court has scheduled 97 hearing days for Najib’s defence in the 1MDB trial starting from yesterday to this Friday (2 – 6 December) and all of next week (9 – 13 December).

The trials is expected to resume in 2025 from January to April, and then continued in May, June, August, September, October, and November.

What are Najib’s criminal cases and their current status?

Najib has been involved in five criminal cases, with two cases ongoing in court:

1. The RM2.27 billion 1MDB trial he is defending himself in.

2. His RM27 million money laundering case over former 1MDB subsidiary SRC International Sdn Bhd, which the trial is set to start on 21 April, 2025.

Three of his other criminal cases which are concluded or no longer pending are:

1. The RM42 million SRC International Sdn Bhd case

Najib was imprisoned in the Kajang Prison since August 2022 because of this case. His prison sentence was halved from 12 years to six by the Federal Territories Pardons Board this year, and his RM210 million fine was reduced to RM50 million.

2. 1MDB audit report case

The High Court acquitted Najib and 1MDB’s ex-CEO Arul Kandasamy in March 2023, as the prosecution failed to prove a case for them to defend themselves against.

3. 1MDB-linked case of criminal breach of trust involving RM6.6 billion in government funds.

On 27 November, the High Court granted Najib and ex-Treasury Secretary-General Tan Sri Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah a discharge not amounting to an acquittal, partly because the trial could not start due to procedural issues. This means that the trial is over for now but the prosecution could press the same charges against them later.

What happened on the first day of Najib’s defence?

The former prime minister finally started his defence yesterday, six years after he was charged with abuse of power and money laundering over RM2 billion of 1MDB’s funds.

He began with reading his 525-page witness statement that was prepared while he was in prison.

During his defence, Najib brought up the fact that he was not the only person to have held the position of both prime minister and finance minister at the same time.

He noted that Malaysia’s first prime minister Tunku Abdul Rahman also held both positions simultaneously during his tenure from 1970 to 1976.

“This was later continued by other leaders, including Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who briefly assumed the finance portfolio in the 1990s, if I’m not mistaken during the Asian Financial Crisis, and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi,” he said in a Malay Mail report.

Apart from that, he also denied ever having set foot in AmIslamic Bank on Jalan Raja Chulan, which he was accused of in the RM2 billion 1MDB and SRC International Sdn Bhd embezzlement scandal.

On one of the money laundering charges involving RM60.6 million, Najib told the High Court that the sum which entered his personal AmIslamic account was a donation from the late Saudi king, King Abdullah.

He testified that there were remittances from Prince Faisal bin Turki bin Bandar Al-Saud and Prince Saud bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, and he did inform the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) of his beliefs these remittances were donations from the late King Abdullah to “assist” him in the 13th General Election in 2013.

This is a developing story, with more updates to come as the trial continues.

---

Share your thoughts with us via TRP’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Threads.