Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was found guilty Tuesday in a corruption trial over the multibillion-dollar looting of the 1MDB investment fund.
“I find the accused guilty and convict the accused of all seven charges,” Judge Mohamad Nazlan Ghazali said, according to the AP, after spending two hours to read out his ruling.
Many expect that the ruling will help the prosecution’s case in the ex-PM’s other trials. The 67-year-old former leader has said he will appeal the ruling and has called the case against him political.
“From day one, I have said this is the chance for me to clear my name,”″ he wrote on Facebook late Monday.
“After this, we will go to the Court of Appeal. I am ready.”
The ruling came five months after a new government took power with Najib’s Malay party the biggest bloc in the alliance. His party’s shocking election ouster in 2018 was driven by public anger over the 1MDB scandal.
He faces 42 charges in five separate trials and could face years in prison.