On Boxing Day, the High Court is set to deliver its decision in the RM2.3 billion 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) trial, marking the conclusion of a major chapter in the long-running legal saga involving former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
After more than seven years of legal proceedings and extended courtroom hearings, High Court judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah will determine whether Najib is guilty or not guilty of four charges of misappropriating 1MDB funds and 21 counts of money laundering.
Najib, who once held significant power as both prime minister and finance minister, has consistently denied all allegations. He has maintained that the funds in question were political donations and that he was misled by individuals around him.
The prosecution has argued that Najib was not merely a passive recipient of the funds, but the central decision-maker who enabled and benefitted from a complex series of financial transactions that led to the misappropriation of public funds.
The defence, however, has insisted that the case is flawed, citing gaps in the prosecution’s arguments, political motivations and unproven assumptions.
If the court finds that Najib’s defence team, led by Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, has successfully raised reasonable doubt, the former Umno president will be acquitted. Otherwise, he will be convicted and sentenced.
Najib may apply for a stay of execution pending an appeal at the Court of Appeal, a move that could trigger another prolonged round of legal proceedings.
The defence closed its case on May 6 after presenting testimony from 26 defence witnesses over 58 hearing days.
The high-profile trial, which drew international attention, spanned a total of 293 days. The prosecution called 50 witnesses, while the defence presented 26 witnesses.
Among the key witnesses who testified were former 1MDB chairman Tan Sri Mohd Bakke Salleh; former 1MDB chief executive officer Datuk Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi; former Bank Negara Malaysia governor Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz; former 1MDB lawyer Jasmine Loo Ai Swan; and Tengku Datuk Rahimah Sultan Mahmud, the sister of Terengganu ruler Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin.
Najib is currently serving his sentence at Kajang Prison following his conviction for misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd.
