Ex-Malaysian PM Najib found guilty of all 7 charges in 1MDB-linked graft trial
KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia's former premier Najib Razak was on Tuesday (July 28) found guilty of all seven charges in the first of his five trials relating to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.
High Court judge Mohd Nazlan Mohd Ghazali found Najib, 67, guilty of one count of abuse of power, three counts of criminal breach of trust and three counts of money laundering regarding the misappropriation of RM42 million (S$13.6 million) from SRC International, a former subsidiary of 1MDB.
"I find the accused guilty and convict him on all seven charges," said the judge.
Each charge carries a prison sentence of up to 15 to 20 years.
Najib's defence team requested a full mitigation to be held on Aug 3.
Najib arrived in court slightly before 10am to shouts of “long live Najib” by hundreds of supporters who had gathered outside.
Wearing a mask and flanked by top leaders of his party, Najib offered prayers just outside the courtroom.
“This is my chance to clear my name,” Najib said in a Facebook post on Monday night. “Whatever the decision tomorrow at the high court, it does not end here,” he said, adding that both sides would appeal any decision at the federal court.
Najib's conviction appears to confirm Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin's commitment to "not interfere" in graft cases against prominent Umno politicians like Najib, even though they are his allies in the five-month old Perikatan Nasional (PN) government.
Dozens of these corruption charges were instituted under the former ruling coalition Pakatan Harapan, after its shock win against Umno in the May 2018 general election.
>sauce: https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/ex-malaysian-pm-najib-found-guilty-on-one-count-of-abuse-of-power-in-1mdb-linked-graft