Kuala Lumpur, Aug 24: Najib Razak is Malaysia’s first former prime minister to go to prison – a mighty fall for a British-educated politician whose father and uncle were the country’s second and third prime ministers, respectively.
The enormous 1MDB financial scandal tied directly to him was not just a personal blow but also shook — temporarily at least — the stranglehold his party, the United Malays National Organisation, had over Malaysian politics.
UMNO had traditionally been assured the support of the country’s ethnic Malay majority and had headed the National Front coalition government since the country became independent of Britain in 1957.
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Najib set up the 1MDB state investment fund shortly after taking power in 2009. The US Justice Department and other investigators alleged that at least USD 4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB by associates of Najib between 2009 and 2014, and laundered through layers of bank accounts in the US and other countries to finance Hollywood films and extravagant purchases that included hotels, a luxury yacht, art works and jewellery.
Then-US Attorney-General Jeff Sessions described the scandal as “kleptocracy at its worst.”
The Justice Department’s civil case filings also alleged USD 700 million was transferred from bank accounts used in the money laundering to the bank account of “Malaysian Official 1.” It didn’t name the official, but corroborating details made clear it was Najib.
Najib in July 2020 was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment by Malaysia’s High Court after being found guilty of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering for illegally receiving 42 million ringgit (USD 9.4 million) from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB.
Najib, 69, has maintained his innocence and had been out on bail pending his appeals.
The Court of Appeal upheld his conviction and sentence in December, describing the case as a “national embarrassment.”
On Tuesday, the Federal Court affirmed the lower court’s decision, sending Najib straight to prison to begin his sentence.
Najib had once cast himself as a liberal and reforming leader of the predominantly Muslim country of over 33 million people. He speaks impeccable English with a posh accent, has his own blog and has a strong social media following.
At the same time, he often seemed far removed from the concerns of ordinary Malaysians and the poor rural Malays who are the bedrock of UMNO.
He was mocked by the opposition for once saying he prefers eating quinoa, an expensive imported South American grain, to rice, a staple of the Malaysian diet.
Revelations after his downfall unveiled a serious taste for luxury, particularly on the part of his wife, Rosmah Mansor, who has also faced criminal charges. The total value of cash, jewelry, watches and handbags seized in 2018 from properties linked to Najib amounted to at least $273 million, police said. The haul included 12,000 pieces of jewelry — 2,200 rings, 1,400 necklaces, 2,100 bracelets, 2,800 pairs of earrings, 1,600 brooches and 14 tiaras along with 567 handbags, 423 watches and 234 pairs of sunglasses.
Malalysia has long been beset by corruption, but generally it had been associated with money politics designed to help keep UMNO in power. (AP)
