Malaysian Court of Appeal dismissed former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s appeal on charges of corruption in the Malaysian Public Development Fund (1MDB). Court of Appeals Judge Abdul Karim Abdul Jalil said that the tribunal upheld the conviction of Najib and rejected his defense. “There is no national interest here, only national embarrassment,” said Abdul Karim. Expressing his disappointment with the decision, Najib said that he will appeal to Malaysia’s highest court, the Federal Court.
The Court of Appeal granted the defense’s request for a stay of conviction pending final appeal. Najib could stay out on bail until the final appeal.
Last year, Najib was sentenced to 12 years in prison and $50 million in fines by the Kuala Lumpur High Court for various crimes including breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering in one of the five cases he faces over corruption allegations. Malaysian officials state that $4.5 billion was stolen from the said fund and more than $1 billion was transferred to Najib’s personal accounts.