Malaysian court rejects Najib’s bid to suspend 15-year jail term

A Malaysian court on Wednesday rejected former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s application to suspend a 15-year prison sentence and a fine of 11.38 billion ringgit ($2.8 billion) in a corruption case linked to state investment fund “1Malaysia Development Berhad” (1MDB).

High Court Judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin found that Najib had not demonstrated special circumstances warranting a suspension, Malaysian daily The Star reported.

The judge said the seriousness of the offences and the public interest outweighed arguments from Najib’s lawyers, including concerns about his health, legal complications and possible delays in the appeals process.

The ruling leaves the additional prison sentence in place while Najib challenges his conviction.

In December 2025, Najib was convicted on four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving 2.28 billion ringgit linked to 1MDB. He subsequently appealed the verdict.

Najib, 73, is already serving a separate six-year prison sentence for misappropriating funds from “SRC International”, a former 1MDB subsidiary.

The additional 15-year term is scheduled to begin in August 2028, after his existing prison sentence ends.