Najib seeks stay of 1MDB conviction, imprisonment and RM11bil fine

Former prime minister Najib Razak has applied to stay the execution of his conviction and 15-year prison sentence as well as the suspension of his RM11.387 billion fine in his 1MDB case.

Lawyer Shafee Abdullah informed High Court judge Ruwena Md Nordin of the application during case management today, adding that a certificate of urgency had been filed.

He sought the stay pending Najib’s appeal against the 1MDB conviction in the Court of Appeal, and requested that no warrant of committal be issued against him in 2028 when the 15-year sentence is due to begin.

Deputy public prosecutor Mustaffa P Kunyalam told the court that the prosecution wished to respond to the application.

Ruwena then fixed Oct 14 for the hearing and ordered for all relevant documents to be filed a day before.

Last year, the High Court sentenced Najib to 15 years in prison and fined him RM11.387 billion after finding him guilty of four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.28 billion in 1MDB funds deposited into his AmBank accounts between February 2011 and December 2014.

The 15-year sentence is due to begin in 2028, after Najib completes his six-year prison sentence in the SRC International case.

When the sentence and fine were imposed, Najib’s lawyers said they would not seek a stay of execution at the time, although he would be at liberty to apply for one later.