The fresh prison sentence handed to disgraced former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak has sharpened tensions inside Umno, with analysts warning the legal blow to the party’s former figurehead could fuel calls for a withdrawal from the coalition led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
On Friday, a Malaysian court sentenced Najib, 72, to a further 15 years in prison after finding him guilty on all 25 charges of abuse of power and money laundering linked to the siphoning of 2.3 billion ringgit (US$568 million) from the scandal-tainted state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
The judge also imposed a massive 11.4 billion ringgit fine and ordered Najib to return 2.08 billion ringgit deemed to be proceeds of the offences, failing which he faces additional jail time. Najib, through his lawyer, said he would appeal.
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While the outcome was widely expected after the seven-year trial, analysts said the verdict has triggered political aftershocks that are still unfolding, particularly within the United Malays National Organisation (Umno), which governed Malaysia for six decades before being swept from power in 2018 amid public outrage over 1MDB.
Former Malaysian prime minister Najib found guilty in final 1MDB criminal case
Former Malaysian prime minister Najib found guilty in final 1MDB criminal case
“The ruling underscores the limits of Umno’s leverage,” Amir Fareed Rahim, strategic director at risk consultancy KRA Group, told This Week in Asia. “Despite repeated political realignments, the party has been unable to change the legal trajectory of Najib’s case.”
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