Malaysian activists renew reform calls after Najib's IMDB conviction

Independence of country's institutions in doubt while structural problems remain

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Anti-graft activists in Malaysia have renewed calls for sweeping reforms to tackle corruption and prevent a repeat of the IMDB controversy, after former prime minister Najib Razak was convicted last week over the US$4.5 billion (S$5.7 billion) scandal at the state fund.

Najib, 72, already serving a six-year jail sentence for graft in an earlier case linked to the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (IMDB) saga, was found guilty on Dec 26 of abuse of power and money laundering in the biggest trial he faced over the fund he had co-founded while in office.

The High Court sentenced him to an additional 15 years in prison and a record fine of RM1.4 billion (S$3.6 billion). Najib, who has been in prison since 2022, denies wrongdoing and is appealing against the ruling.

While civil society groups welcomed the verdict, many said it raised fresh questions over the independence of Malaysia’s institutions and exposed structural problems that have not been addressed since the IMDB scandal was exposed more than a decade ago.