Former prime minister Najib Razak told the High Court in Kuala Lumpur on January 21, 2026, that RM42 million deposited into his personal bank accounts was not connected to any Saudi donation, marking a significant shift from his earlier position in multiple court proceedings.
The admission was made during cross-examination in a civil lawsuit filed by SRC International Sdn Bhd and its subsidiary, Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd, which are seeking to recover RM42 million they claim was misappropriated from company funds. Najib explained that his revised stance was based on information he became aware of after the funds were received, describing it as knowledge acquired subsequently.
During questioning, Najib acknowledged that while he had previously believed the money originated from a Saudi source at the time it entered his accounts, he no longer maintained that view. He agreed that, based on his current understanding, the funds had no link to any Saudi donation.
Counsel for SRC International also pressed Najib on the fact that his Saudi donation defence had already been rejected at every level of the judiciary in earlier criminal proceedings related to SRC International. Najib accepted that the courts had dismissed the defence, including findings by the High Court and the Federal Court. While he noted that one judge had expressed concerns about fairness during a later review application, he conceded that the majority of the bench upheld the conclusion that the money did not come from a Saudi source.
The court was also reminded that in Najib’s separate 1MDB criminal trial, the High Court had similarly ruled there was no documentary evidence to support the claim that the funds were a donation from Saudi Arabia. Najib confirmed that this finding had been made, although he pointed out that the decision was under appeal at the time.
Najib has been incarcerated since August 23, 2022, following his conviction for misappropriating RM42 million from SRC International. He was originally sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million. On January 29, 2024, the Federal Territories Pardons Board reduced his jail term to six years and lowered the fine to RM50 million.
However, his legal troubles did not end there. On December 26, 2025, the High Court sentenced Najib to 15 years’ imprisonment and imposed a fine of RM11.387 billion after finding him guilty in the 1MDB case. The sentence was ordered to commence immediately after the completion of his current prison term.
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