Malaysia’s Najib to face verdict in mega 1MDB graft trial

KUALA LUMPUR –

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak faces judgment on Friday for his alleged involvement in the country’s 1MDB mega-graft scandal, with a guilty verdict likely to add years to a sentence already being served.

The 72-year-old faces four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering relating to the plunder of hundreds of millions of dollars from the Southeast Asian nation’s 1MDB sovereign wealth fund, sparking probes in several countries.

If found guilty, the man once seen as political royalty faces years more behind bars; he is already serving a six-year jail term after a conviction in a separate case relating to the 1MDB fund.