A court in Malaysia has sentenced former Prime Minister Najib Razak to 12 years in prison on charges of abuse of power and criminal deception of trust, local newspaper Star reports.
Razak was charged with three counts of criminal breach of trust, one count of abuse of power and three counts of money laundering as part of the case involving billions of dollars in embezzlement from the state investment Fund 1MDB.
According to the agency, for each of the episodes of criminal fraud and money laundering, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison, and in the case of abuse of power - to 12 years and a fine of 210 million ringgit (almost 50 million US dollars).
All punishments will be applied simultaneously, not added together.
After the verdict was announced, Razak's lawyers filed a motion to suspend the decision and the judge granted it.
The 1MDB (1 Malaysia Development Berhad) Fund was established by the government of Najib Razak in 2009 on the basis of the previously existing investment Fund of the province (sultanate) Terengganu. As a national investment Fund, 1MDB has participated in dozens of investment projects in Malaysia and abroad. According to the investigation, during the active activity of the Fund (2009 – 2016), more than 4 billion dollars were stolen from it.
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Photo: Chong Voon Chung / Xinhua via ZUMA Wire / TASS
Based on materials from RIA Novosti