Sentence reduced for former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib

In a written statement, the Malaysian Pardons Board stated that a meeting was held on Monday with the then-King of Malaysia, Sultan Abdullah, before he handed over his duties to the incoming King, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar, on January 31, and that the application for a royal pardon filed by former Prime Minister Najib was evaluated.

The statement announced that Najib's 12-year prison sentence had been halved, and accordingly, the former Prime Minister would be released on August 23, 2028.

In the statement, it was also noted that the 44.5 million dollar fine imposed on Najib as part of the same investigation was reduced to 10.6 million dollars.

HE HAD RECEIVED A 12-YEAR SENTENCE

In July 2020, the Federal Court, Malaysia's highest judicial authority, upheld the High Court's decision to convict Najib on 7 separate charges, including "abuse of power," "money laundering," and "criminal breach of trust," in the final appeal case.

Following the Federal Court's confirmation of his 12-year prison sentence and 210 million Malaysian ringgit fine, Najib began serving his sentence at Kajang Prison in August 2022, becoming the "first former prime minister in the country's history to be imprisoned."

WHAT IS THE 1MDB CORRUPTION SCANDAL?

It is estimated that between 4.5 and 7 billion dollars were embezzled from the 1MDB fund, which was established by former Prime Minister Najib Razak in 2009 and came to the fore with corruption allegations in 2015. Malaysia continues to pursue the missing funds in 12 countries.

News Source: AA