The High Court in Putrajaya has found that former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak took far-reaching and, at times, drastic measures after the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) controversy surfaced in 2015, actions which the court said pointed to his deep personal interest in the fund’s affairs.
In delivering the court’s findings, Justice Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah observed that despite the scale of the allegations surrounding 1MDB, no police reports or complaints were lodged with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission against Low Taek Jho, commonly known as Jho Low, who later became a central figure in the scandal. The court also noted that no formal reports were filed in relation to Najib’s own claims that his signature had allegedly been forged on documents linked to 1MDB.
The judgment highlighted the establishment of a special multi-agency task force in 2015, which brought together senior officers from the Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Royal Malaysia Police, the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission, and Bank Negara Malaysia to probe the fund. The court found that this task force was later disbanded, despite Najib’s earlier testimony that its dissolution was merely an administrative decision handled at an institutional level. Justice Sequerah concluded that Najib himself had taken action leading to the group’s disbandment.
The court further pointed to significant personnel changes during the same period, noting the removal of then attorney-general Tan Sri Abdul Gani Patail, as well as the departure of the MACC’s leadership. The judgment also referred to Najib’s request to then central bank governor Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz to issue a public statement addressing matters related to transactions involving his personal bank accounts. Taken together, the court said these steps demonstrated an active and sustained effort to manage and control developments surrounding 1MDB.
Justice Sequerah concluded that these actions supported an inference that Najib had taken various measures, some of them drastic, to protect and consolidate his interests once the scandal began to unfold.
The High Court also found that Jho Low acted as an intermediary between Najib and the 1MDB management team, despite holding no official role within the company. The court rejected Najib’s defence that he had been misled by Low and several former 1MDB officers, stating that the claim lacked credibility. It was further noted that 1MDB itself had not pursued domestic action against these former officers.
In assessing Najib’s background, the court emphasised his long experience in government, describing him as politically seasoned and highly intelligent. The judgment stated that portraying him as unaware of the fund’s operations was untenable.
Justice Sequerah was scheduled to deliver the court’s verdict later on December 26, 2025.
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