The Malaysian Supreme Court refuses to review a 2022 ruling confirming Prime Minister Najib Razak’s bribery charge.

supreme court of malaysia On Friday, they refused to reconsider their 2022 decision to uphold former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s bribery and 12-year sentence, saying he was “the cause of his own misfortunes.”

A five-member bench of the Federal Court unanimously rejected his latest appeal in August in a case involving the looting of the 1Malaysia Development Berhad state investment fund, sending Najib straight to jail to serve his sentence. But Najib demanded a review of the decision, saying he was denied a fair trial.

A new bench of the Federal Court rejected Najib’s assertion by a majority vote. This effectively closed the case, meaning that Najib would have to serve out his sentence. Had he won a review, he could have been released on bail pending a new appeal hearing.

Najib had a stone face when the verdict was read out.

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Four of the five judges said they found “no miscarriage of justice”. They dismissed defense arguments that the judge who sentenced him had a conflict of interest, Najib was not given enough time to prepare the case for his new lawyer, and he was not allowed to present new evidence. The judges said that the previous bench of the Federal Court correctly applied the laws.

“In this matter, with all due respect, we are forced to say that the applicant is responsible for his misfortune,” said Judge Vernon Ong.

Judge Abdul Rahman Sebli disagreed, saying there must be trust in the administration of justice. He spent over an hour explaining why he saw a miscarriage of justice in his last appeal last year.

Later, chief prosecutor V. Sithambaram told reporters that Friday’s decision was “confirmation that the charges were made in accordance with the law and not politically motivated.”

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak gets into a car after appearing in court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia April 3, 2019.  On March 31, 2023, Malaysia's highest court refused to review its decision to uphold Razak's bribery conviction.

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak gets into a car after appearing in court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia April 3, 2019. On March 31, 2023, Malaysia’s highest court refused to review its decision to uphold Razak’s bribery conviction. (Photo by AP/Vincent Tian, ​​file)

“This prosecution has shown that no one in this country is above the law,” he said, adding that it should send a “chill signal” that the law will catch up with all offenders.

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But defense attorney Muhammad Shafi Abdullah said “it’s not over yet.”

While the defense team was extremely disappointed, Shafi said, the strong dissenting judgment opened up the possibility of a new revision. He noted that Abdul Rahman even offered an acquittal instead of a retrial on the grounds that Nadjib had not been given a fair trial. Shafi declined to give details of Najib’s next move.

While further consideration of the case is possible, Sithambaram said it was unlikely.

British education Najib was born into the Malaysian political elite. His father was the second prime minister of the country, and his uncle was the third.

He became prime minister in 2009 as a reformer, but his term was overshadowed by the 1MDB scandal, which sparked investigations in the US and several other countries and led to the fall of his government in the 2018 general election.

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Investigators allege that at least $4.5 billion was stolen from the 1MDB fund, created shortly after Najib came to power and laundered by Najib’s associates. In 2020, Najib was found guilty on seven corruption charges for illegally receiving $9.4 million from SRC International, a former division of 1MDB.

Najib became the first former leader of the country to be imprisoned. He still faces dozens of charges in several separate 1MDB-related lawsuits. His wife, Rosmah Mansor, was also sentenced to 10 years in prison in a separate case. corruption case and is on bail pending appeal.