• Najib Razak found guilty of four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering.
• He faces a total sentence of 15 years, to begin after completing a prior term.
• The 1MDB scandal involved the misappropriation of billions from a state investment fund.
• Judge ruled Najib used the funds despite their dubious origins and failed to act against Jho Low.
• The verdict has ignited tensions within Malaysia’s ruling coalition.

On December 26, 2025, Malaysian former Prime Minister Najib Razak was found guilty by the Kuala Lumpur High Court on four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering associated with the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal. This ruling follows a seven-year legal battle involving multiple trials, with prosecutors alleging that Najib misappropriated approximately RM2.2 billion (around US$539 million) from the state fund during his tenure as prime minister, which lasted from 2009 to 2018, according to Al Jazeera, Channel News Asia, SCMP, and Reuters.

During the trial, Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah emphasized that Najib's defense claims of being misled and that the funds derived from a political donation from Saudi Arabia lacked credibility, highlighting that the evidence pointed towards Najib having established a close relationship with Jho Low, the fugitive financier accused of orchestrating the fraud, according to Le Monde, BBC, and Al Jazeera.

Najib was sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison for the abuse of power charges and an additional five years for each of the money laundering charges, all to be served concurrently. However, this new sentence will commence only after he completes his existing six-year term related to a previous conviction in a different 1MDB case. The judge also ordered a hefty fine of approximately RM11.3 billion (around US$2.7 billion), according to Reuters, Anadolu Agency, and LA Times.

The verdict and sentencing have raised concerns about the stability of the current administration led by Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as Najib's party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), plays a crucial role within the coalition government. Tensions are anticipated to rise, particularly among UMNO leaders who have expressed dissatisfaction with the court's ruling, which they view as a threat to their political influence, according to Reuters and Channel News Asia.