1MDB trial: Judge rejects Najib’s bid to stay prison sentence, says his medical issues not special circumstances

The High Court in Kuala Lumpur dismissed former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak's request to stay his 15-year prison sentence and RM11.38 billion fine in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) case.

Judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin emphasized that public interest and the gravity of the offenses outweighed Najib's personal grievances, including health concerns.

The ruling allows for the execution of a new warrant of committal once Najib completes his reduced sentence in the SRC International case.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib argued against the stay, emphasizing the importance of enforcing a valid conviction to uphold public interest and justice.

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 14 — The High Court today dismissed former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s application to stay the execution of his 15-year prison sentence and RM11.38 billion fine in the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) corruption case.

The decision clears the way for a fresh warrant of committal to be executed against Najib once he completes his reduced custodial sentence in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case, with his 15-year 1MDB jail term scheduled to commence in August 2028.

Delivering her decision, High Court Judge Noor Ruwena Md Nurdin held that the gravity of the offences and overarching public interest considerations outweighed the applicant's private grievances.

She further rejected lawyers’ assertions that Najib's health constituted a special circumstance warranting a stay.

“Having weighed the competing interests of the applicant against public interest considerations, the court does not agree that the medical issues raised satisfy the special circumstances test,” the judge said.

“The medical report gave me the impression that the applicant’s medical needs are very well taken care of by the government, hospitals and experts.”

Noor Ruwena also ruled that the multi-billion-ringgit fine did not amount to special circumstances, as payment is not enforceable until his avenues for appeal are exhausted.

“Therefore, I find no merit in this application and it is accordingly dismissed,” she said.

Arguing against the stay, Deputy Public Prosecutor Datuk Ahmad Akram Gharib submitted that granting interim relief would inflict tangible prejudice on the public interest and undermine judicial finality in a trial spanning seven years.

“On the balance of convenience, the applicant’s grievance is speculative and the public’s interest in the enforcement of a valid conviction is real and immediate,” Akram argued.

“We submit that the applicant has failed to discharge the burden — which rests squarely upon him — of establishing the existence of special or exceptional circumstances warranting the extraordinary exercise of the court’s discretion.

“The interests of justice, the gravity of the offences, the accused’s prior convictions and the overwhelming public interest considerations all compel the conclusion that the application ought to be dismissed,” he added.

Lead defence counsel Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah explained that the stay was not filed immediately after the verdict on Dec 26 last year to preserve Najib's eligibility for concurrent sentencing should his appeal succeed:

“The non-application for a stay on that day was expressly premised upon the applicant’s liberty to apply for a stay at a later date, depending on subsequent developments in the law or other circumstances,” he said.

Najib was convicted on Dec 26 last year by then-trial judge Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah, now a Federal Court judge, on four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering involving RM2.3 billion in 1MDB funds, carrying a 15-year jail term, an RM11.38 billion fine, and a recoverable sum of RM2.081 billion.

Najib is already in prison, serving his sentence stemming from a separate conviction in the SRC International trial.

On Sept 18, Federal Territories Pardons Board announced that Najib could serve the remainder of his reduced SRC sentence under house arrest until August 23, 2028, subject to conditions including payment of a RM50 million fine.

Budget 2027: Tengku Zafrul urges local semiconductor firms to move up value chain

Damansara mini tornado caused by active thunderstorm clouds, says MetMalaysia

Man drives SUV 130m down train tracks in Port Klang, police say KTMB investigating

吉隆坡高等法院驳回了前首相拿督斯里纳吉·拉扎克要求暂缓执行其在1MDB案中被判处的15年监禁和113.8亿令吉罚款的请求。

法官努尔·鲁韦纳·穆罕默德·努尔丁强调，公众利益和罪行的严重性超过了纳吉布的个人不满，包括健康问题。

该裁决允许在纳吉布完成其在 SRC 国际案中的减刑刑期后，执行新的拘押令。

副检察官拿督艾哈迈德·阿克拉姆·加里布反对暂缓执行，强调执行有效定罪对于维护公共利益和正义的重要性。

吉隆坡，10月14日讯——高等法院今日驳回了前首相拿督斯里纳吉·拉扎克关于暂缓执行其在1MDB贪污案中被判处的15年监禁和113.8亿令吉罚款的申请。

该决定为纳吉布在 SRC 国际有限公司案中服完减刑后的监禁刑期后，对其执行新的监禁令扫清了障碍，他因 1MDB 案被判处的 15 年监禁将于 2028 年 8 月开始执行。

高等法院法官努尔·鲁韦纳·穆罕默德·努尔丁在宣判时表示，罪行的严重性和公共利益的重大考量超过了申请人的个人不满。

她进一步驳斥了律师们的说法，即纳吉布的健康状况构成特殊情况，足以构成暂缓执行的理由。

法官表示：“法院权衡了申请人的利益与公共利益的考量后，认为所提出的医疗问题不符合特殊情况测试的要求。”

“医疗报告让我觉得，申请人的医疗需求得到了政府、医院和专家的很好的照顾。”

努尔·鲁韦纳还裁定，数十亿令吉的罚款不属于特殊情况，因为在他用尽所有上诉途径之前，罚款无法强制执行。

“因此，我认为这项申请没有任何依据，予以驳回，”她说道。

副检察官拿督艾哈迈德·阿克拉姆·加里布反对暂缓执行，他认为，给予临时救济将对公共利益造成切实损害，并破坏长达七年的审判的司法终局性。

阿克拉姆辩称：“从便利性的角度来看，申请人的申诉是推测性的，而公众对执行有效定罪的利益是真实而紧迫的。”

“我们认为，申请人未能履行其举证责任——该责任完全在于他——证明存在特殊或例外情况，足以使法院行使非常规的自由裁量权。

他补充说：“出于司法公正、罪行严重、被告人先前的犯罪记录以及压倒性的公共利益考虑，所有这些都迫使我们得出结论：该申请应当被驳回。”

首席辩护律师丹斯里穆罕默德·沙菲·阿卜杜拉解释说，之所以没有在去年12月26日判决后立即提出暂缓执行申请，是为了保留纳吉布如果上诉成功后可以同时判刑的资格：

他说：“当日未申请暂缓执行的明确前提是，申请人有权根据法律或其他情况的后续发展，在日后申请暂缓执行。”

去年 12 月 26 日，时任审判法官、现任联邦法院法官拿督科林·劳伦斯·塞奎拉 (Datuk Collin Lawrence Sequerah) 判处纳吉布四项滥用职权罪和 21 项洗钱罪，涉及 1MDB 基金 23 亿令吉，判处 15 年监禁、113.8 亿令吉罚款以及 20.81 亿令吉可追回款项。

纳吉布目前已在狱中服刑，他因在 SRC 国际公司案中的另一项罪名而被定罪。

9 月 18 日，联邦直辖区赦免委员会宣布，纳吉布可以在居家监禁下服完剩余的减刑刑期，直至 2028 年 8 月 23 日，但需满足包括支付 5000 万令吉罚款在内的条件。

2027年财政预算案：东姑扎夫鲁敦促本地半导体企业提升价值链

马来西亚气象局称，达曼萨拉小型龙卷风是由活跃的雷暴云引起的。

警方称，一名男子驾驶SUV在巴生港的铁轨上行驶了130米，马来西亚铁道公司（KTMB）正在调查此事。