Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak. REUTERS/Olivia Harris
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is incarcerated, has been acquitted of forgery and forgery in connection with the 1MDB scandal, a judge announced on Friday March 3, without his 12-year prison sentence for a another part of the same case is affected. High Court Judge Mohamed Zaini Mazlan said prosecutors failed to gather sufficient evidence to conclude that Najib Razak had falsified an audit on state fund 1MDB, at the heart of a huge financial scandal. His co-defendant Arul Kanda Kandasamy, head of 1MDB at the time of the case, was also acquitted.
The 69-year-old former leader, however, continues to serve a 12-year prison sentence for corruption imposed in connection with this scandal. Najib Razak was accused of having ordered in February 2016, with the help of Arul Kanda Kandasamy, the modification of an audit of the official government body on the sovereign wealth fund 1MDB. Although the court has eased the pressure on Najib Razak a little, the latter is targeted by dozens of other charges which could lengthen his sentence.
Most relate to his alleged role in the 1MDB scandal, named after the fund originally intended to develop Malaysia’s economy but from which Najib Razak and his accomplices are accused of tapping into lavish purchases, ranging from real estate to works of art to a yacht. This scandal sparked investigations around the world, including in the United States, Switzerland and Singapore, for using their financial systems to launder misappropriated money.
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