Najib Razak files appeal against conviction and sentence in 1MDB case

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA: Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak has filed an appeal against his conviction and sentence in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) trial, his lawyer confirmed on 30 December 2025.

Najib’s lawyer, Muhammad Farhan Shafee, said in a brief text message that the appeal was filed late on Monday night. He confirmed the appeal covers both the guilty verdict and the sentence imposed by the High Court.

The filing follows a landmark ruling delivered last Friday, when the High Court sentenced Najib to 15 years’ imprisonment and imposed fines totalling RM13.4 billion, equivalent to about US$2.8 billion.

Najib was found guilty of all four charges of abuse of power and 21 charges of money laundering over the misappropriation of RM2.3 billion from 1MDB, the state investment fund he founded while in office.

Based on the High Court’s decision, Najib will serve a maximum of 15 years’ jail for the 1MDB offences, as all custodial sentences in the case are to run concurrently.

The court ordered that the 1MDB prison term begin only after Najib completes his existing six-year sentence in the separate RM42 million SRC International case.

In the 1MDB ruling, the High Court imposed a fine of RM11.38 billion for the abuse of power charges, with a default sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment if unpaid.

For the money laundering offences, Najib was ordered to pay an additional penalty of RM2.081 billion, with a default jail term of two years and six months if the amount is not paid.

In the SRC International case, Najib is currently serving a six-year prison term.

That sentence is expected to end in either August 2028 or August 2029, depending on remission.

Under Malaysian prison regulations, Najib could be eligible for a reduction of up to one-third of his sentence if he demonstrates good behaviour while incarcerated.

Last Wednesday, on 24 December 2025, Najib also filed an appeal against the High Court’s rejection of his application to serve the remainder of his SRC sentence under house arrest.

Najib, now aged 72, was first charged in 2018 after his long-ruling coalition lost power in a general election that reshaped Malaysia’s political landscape.

The 1MDB trial began in 2019 and spanned 303 hearing days, making it the longest and most consequential of the five criminal trials Najib has faced since leaving office.

The 1MDB scandal involved more than US$4.5 billion allegedly embezzled from the state fund and is widely regarded as one of the largest corruption cases in modern history.

The affair triggered sweeping political change in Malaysia and prompted investigations by law enforcement and financial regulators in multiple jurisdictions, including the United States.

US and Malaysian investigators have previously said that more than US$1 billion of the misappropriated funds flowed into accounts linked to Najib. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The appeal could have significant political ramifications, as Najib continues to wield influence within the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), a major component of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s governing coalition.

Several UMNO leaders have expressed dissatisfaction with the judicial outcome, arguing that the sentence was excessive and politically damaging to the party.

Analysts have warned that the appeal process and ongoing legal proceedings could further strain relations within the coalition, which has already faced internal divisions.

Those tensions have been heightened by acquittals and appeals involving members of Najib’s family, fuelling debate within UMNO over its future direction.

UMNO campaigned against Anwar Ibrahim in the 2022 general election but later joined his alliance to form a government after the vote resulted in a hung parliament.

Anwar last week urged political parties and the public to remain calm, calling on all sides to respect the court’s decisions with what he described as “full patience and wisdom”.