Malaysia’s Najib loses bid to suspend 15-year 1MDB sentence on medical grounds

A Malaysian court on Wednesday rejected Najib Razak’s bid to suspend his 15-year jail sentence in the 1MDB scandal pending the jailed former prime minister’s appeals, ruling that his health and other grounds did not justify a stay.

The decision means his sentence is set to begin after his current prison term ends in August 2028. Najib, 73, received a conditional royal pardon last month allowing him to serve that separate sentence in the SRC International case at home, but he must first pay a 50 million ringgit (US$12.25 million) fine.

SRC was a subsidiary of 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a state investment fund established to spur economic development that became embroiled in an international corruption scandal.

Kuala Lumpur High Court judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin said the seriousness of the offences was an important public interest consideration, finding that Najib had failed to establish the “special circumstances” needed to suspend his punishment.