KUALA LUMPUR: It is improbable to believe that Datuk Seri Najib Razak was deceived by his subordinates in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal as he held the highest position in both the company and the country, says the High Court.
Justice Collin Lawrence Sequerah, in his full grounds of judgment of the RM2.28bil 1MDB case, said that the former prime minister was no country bumpkin as he possessed impeccable family and political pedigree as well as superior intelligence given his academic background.
"Any attempt to paint the accused as an ignoramus who was hopelessly unaware of the misdeeds going on around him must therefore fail miserably," the judge wrote in a 809-page written judgment.
Najib's defence in the case had steadfastly maintained that he was misled and duped by fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, or also known as Jho Low, and the management of 1MDB.
Justice Sequerah said any other interpretation would meant the court believed that Najib was capable of being fooled by his subordinates and led by someone who had no apparent position in 1MDB, thereby making him the singular laughing stock amongst world leaders, which the court said he undoubtedly was not.
"The cold hard facts and the evidence that stare directly in the face of this court is that, given the presence and involvement of Jho Low at critical phases of transactions and dealings involving 1MDB and his obvious proximity and relationship with the accused (Najib), including the fact that no action was taken against Jho Low even after the wrongdoings surfaced, leads to the only reasonable inference which is that Jho Low operated and functioned as the proxy, the conduit, the intermediary and the facilitator of the accused in the affairs of 1MDB," Justice Sequerah said.
The court took note that Low was involved in 1MDB in an unofficial position and participated in holidays on a yatcht with Najib and his family.
Justice Sequerah also said that the defence attempted to portray Najib as a person "too immersed and engaged" in the affairs of running the country to keep an eye on matters involving the management of a sovereign fund who placed blind trust in the company's management and the board of directors.
This, he said, could not hold true in the light of Najib's power as stated in the company's memorandum & articles of association and his positions as the Prime Minister, Finance Minister and 1MDB board of advisors chairman.
"Therefore, the defence version advanced that the accused was misled and duped by the management and by Jho Low is unmeritorious," Justice Sequerah added.
The long-awaited grounds of judgment, which ran 809 pages, was made available on Tuesday (June 16).
Justice Sequerah, who is now a Federal Court judge, convicted Najib on all 25 charges on Dec 26, 2025.
Najib was found guilty of four counts of using his position to obtain RM2.28bil gratification from 1MDB's funds and 21 counts of money laundering involving the same amount.
Najib was sentenced to 15 years' jail and a RM11.387bil fine. Justice Sequerah ordered the former prime minister's jail term to begin in 2028 after his six-year prison sentence in the SRC International case.
