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Earlier in the day when Najib arrived in court, around 300 supporters mobbed his car chanting “bossku” – “my boss” in Malay – a rallying cry among his defenders.
Just before the verdict was read, Najib, who had said he received an unfair trial, made an impassioned plea asking for a two-month adjournment so he can adequately prepare for a defence.
“It’s the worst feeling to have to realise that the might of the judiciary is pinned against me in the most unfair manner,” Najib told the court.
During a break in the proceedings, he spoke to supporters, telling them “if I am guilty, please forgive me”.
Adib Zalkapli, director at BowerGroupAsia, described the case as unprecedented.
“Najib will be remembered for his many firsts, the first prime minister to lose a general election, the first to be convicted,” he said.
Najib is the UK-educated son of one of Malaysia’s founding fathers who had been groomed for the prime minister’s post from a young age.
The final ruling on the jail sentence also came four years after his long-ruling party’s shock election defeat in 2018, during which allegations he and his friends embezzled billions of dollars from state fund 1MDB were key campaign issues.
A lower court in July 2020 found Najib guilty of abuse of power, money laundering and criminal breach of trust over the transfer of RM42 million (US$10 million) from SRC International, a former unit of state fund 1MDB, to his personal bank account.
An appellate court in December denied his appeal, prompting him to go to the Federal Court for a final recourse.
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