PUTRAJAYA: Former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will have to spend another 15 years in jail after he serves out his current jail sentence.
The High Court sentenced him to a total of 165 years in jail over 25 charges in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case.
He was given 15 years’ jail on each of four charges of power abuse after finding him guilty. He was also fined a total of RM11.4bil.
Najib was also jailed five years for each of 21 charges of money laundering. No fine was imposed.
All jail terms are to run concurrently, which means Najib has to serve 15 years.
Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah also ordered Najib to pay a recoverable sum of RM2.08bil under Section 55(2) of the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001, failing which he would face a further imprisonment of 270 months.
Justice Sequerah said he had considered all the mitigating factors by the defence and the aggravating factors by the prosecution.
“I’ve taken into consideration the cases cited and the principles of law. I have also considered the public interest element and the principle of deterrence, the length of his public service and other mitigating factors,” he said.
The judge started sentencing at 9pm although he had started reading his judgment at 9.30am.
Reporters who had endured almost 12 hours of hearing in the courtroom, started cheering as the judge emerged from his chambers to pronounce the sentences.
Justice Sequerah also ordered for the jail term to only take effect after Najib completes his six-year prison time in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case.
Najib has been serving a jail sentence at the Kajang Prison since Aug 23, 2022, after being convicted of misappropriating RM42mil in SRC International funds.
According to the Pardons Board, Najib is expected to be released on Aug 23, 2028.
Yesterday, Najib’s defence team requested for his bail sum of RM3.5mil to be returned. The prosecution had no objection.
“In the circumstances, the court orders for the return of the bail sum,” Justice Sequerah said.
Najib’s lead counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah told the court that the defence was not applying for a stay of execution at the moment.
“But we would like this to be on record: the non-application of stay is with liberty to apply.”
Najib, in a statement after the sentencing, urged all Malaysians to remain calm and not to be involved in any provocation.
“I remain determined to continue not out of vengeance, but out of principle. What I seek is merely the right provided for by law and what has been duly sanctioned.
“My intention has never changed: to contribute to the nation’s development and the well-being of its people.
“This struggle is not an attempt to evade responsibility; it is an effort to uphold justice, to defend the integrity of the Constitution, and to safeguard the rule of law.
“I will continue to pursue my rights through lawful channels. Whatever the decision today, I remain confident in the country’s judicial process.”
