Malaysia’s Najib Razak: jailed by Prime Minister

The son of one of Malaysia’s founding fathers, Najib Razak, was prepared for the post of prime minister at an early age.

But after ruling the country for nine years, he now faces more than a decade in prison for corruption in a spectacular overthrow over his links to billions of dollars in misuse of public funds.

Malaysia’s top court on Tuesday upheld Najib’s 12-year sentence for stealing cash from the state fund 1MDB, slamming the door on any further political ambitions by the former leader.

Since his shocking electoral defeat in May 2018, Najib has faced a tightening noose as successive governments intensified investigations into the bribery allegations against him and his wife, Rosmah Mansor.

Later that year, Najib was found guilty of abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust in connection with the 1MDB scandal.

The convictions relate to his role in diverting 42 million ringgit (about US$10 million) from SRC International, a unit of 1MDB, to his personal bank accounts.

Najib’s ouster is a far cry from 2009, when he took office and gave hope to many in Malaysia longing for an end to the repressive tactics of a once-invincible coalition that ruled for six decades.

He initially espoused liberal political views, replacing security laws that were widely criticized as suppressing dissent.

But the British-educated Najib was viewed by many Malaysians as a distant elitist with little understanding of the common people.

This perception has been reinforced by frequent deaf slips, as well as measures unpopular with the poor, such as a sales tax introduced in 2015 that is now set to be abolished.

His wife, Rosmah, has also been a constant lightning rod for critics because of her bossy demeanor and elaborately coiffed hair, which she complained once cost her 1,200 ringgit ($270) to style. The minimum monthly wage in Malaysia at the time was 900 ringgit.

Then-Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad said Najib told him in 2015 that “cash is king” to maintain political support in Malaysia, a phrase opponents used against Najib as a sign of his hubris and corruption.

Money and power appeared to act as a firewall protecting Najib through a scandal involving Malaysia’s purchase of French submarines in 2002 when he was defense minister, a deal brokered by a close aide.

Allegations later surfaced that Malaysian officials received huge bribes to secure the deal, and the grim episode was interrupted by the murder of a Mongolian woman involved in the negotiations.

Altantuya Shaariibuu was shot dead and her body blown up with military explosives near Kuala Lumpur.

Two officers from a special unit guarding Malaysian ministers were found guilty of the murder, but suspicions that Najib and Rosmah were involved hung for years, and Najib was once forced to deny he was having an affair with 28-year-old Altantuya.

The final straw was 1MDB, a fund Najib launched in 2009 to encourage economic development.

Shortly after winning a second term in 2013, 1MDB slipped into a huge debt pit and allegations of a lack of funds surfaced.

Public outrage over reports that surfaced around 2015 detailing the looting of the sovereign wealth fund led to an election tsunami led by Mahathir that put Najib in the police crosshairs.

US authorities say Najib’s entourage used hundreds of millions of diverted 1MDB funds to buy high-end properties in Los Angeles, New York and London.

Other government spending included a $35 million Monet painting, a $5.5 million Van Gogh work, a $35 million Bombardier jet and funding for the Hollywood film The Wolf of Wall Street” in 2013, which was produced by Najib’s stepson, Riza Aziz.

A 2015 New York Times investigative report also claimed that millions of dollars were used to buy jewelry for Rosmah.

In a December 2017 speech, then-US Attorney General Jeff Sessions said of the scandal, “This is kleptocracy at its worst.”

Najib has steadfastly denied wrongdoing, prosecuted his accusers and shut down media reporting on the affair.

In the end, the 69-year-old made a dejected figure in court at the verdict on Tuesday.

“We were told he was being taken to Kajang Prison south of the capital Kuala Lumpur,” Nur Sharmila Shaheen, his daughter-in-law, told AFP.