Najib's 'Arab donor' claim a forgery, but what about the proponents?
Published: Dec 27, 2025 7:00 AM
Updated: 12:15 PM
Summary
- Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah rules that the RM2.6 billion that flowed into Najib Abdul Razak’s account was falsely claimed as an Arab donation, but many who are in power today once defended that assertion.
- They include Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, Azalina Othman Said, and Khairy Jamaluddin, who backed the former prime minister’s claim.
- Meanwhile, former minister Zaid Ibrahim expresses his disappointment at the aforementioned past and present senior Umno leaders, saying the judge “did a fine job” in demolishing the “Arab donor” narrative and delivering the guilty verdict.
In his verdict yesterday, judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah delivered a damning rejection of former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s narrative that billions in his account were from an Arab donor.
At the height of the 1MDB scandal a decade ago, however, this narrative had many other proponents - some of whom are still holding office in senior government positions.
Among them is Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
In 2015, Zahid told delegates at an Umno divisional meeting that he had personally met the chief investment officer and wealth trustee of the Arab royal family allegedly behind the RM2.6 billion donation in Najib’s personal account.
“When I asked them why they donated US$700 million to Malaysia, they said, ‘Malaysia is not the only country we are channelling our money to. There are many more friendly Muslim countries to which we are donating.’
“They want Umno and BN to continue ruling the country.”
He also claimed to have seen the original documents of the transfer.
Azam’s confirmation
The MACC similarly described the funds as a donation, not from 1MDB. Moreover, Azam Baki told reporters on Dec 7 that year that its investigators had met with the supposed donor.
MACC chief commissioner Azam Baki
The MACC chief commissioner at the time was Abu Kassim Mohamed, while Azam was the investigation director at the time and has since taken over the top position.
The stance was echoed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said, who told Parliament in 2016 that the MACC confirmed that the money came from a donation.
“In the RM2.6 billion case investigation, MACC had confirmed that the funds given to the prime minister personally indeed came from the Saudi royal family, based on testimonies by witnesses and supporting documents.
“Based on the overall facts and testimonies, the attorney-general was happy that there was no element of crime in these cases,” she said in a written reply.
Another proponent was former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
The stance was echoed by Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said, who told Parliament in 2016 that the MACC confirmed that the money came from a donation.
“In the RM2.6 billion case investigation, MACC had confirmed that the funds given to the prime minister personally indeed came from the Saudi royal family, based on testimonies by witnesses and supporting documents.
“Based on the overall facts and testimonies, the attorney-general was happy that there was no element of crime in these cases,” she said in a written reply.
Another proponent was former health minister Khairy Jamaluddin.
Khairy Jamaluddin
As the Umno Youth chief at the time, he had argued that the “political donation” into Najib’s account is not a crime and rallied party members to come to Najib’s defence.
‘A fine job by the judge’
Reflecting on the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s verdict, former minister Zaid Ibrahim questioned why Najib is the only person facing legal repercussions for lying about the origin of the money.
“I must admit, judge Sequerah did a fine job in finding the guilty verdict.
“But as an ordinary Umno member, I must say I am disappointed with leaders like Azalina and Zahid. They were the ones who told us that the donations from the Saudis were genuine.
“But Sequerah demolished all that. So Najib stays in Kajang for a long time, for telling a lie, and Zahid and Azalina remain as ministers for the same thing,” he wrote in his Facebook post yesterday.
As the Umno Youth chief at the time, he had argued that the “political donation” into Najib’s account is not a crime and rallied party members to come to Najib’s defence.
‘A fine job by the judge’
Reflecting on the Kuala Lumpur High Court’s verdict, former minister Zaid Ibrahim questioned why Najib is the only person facing legal repercussions for lying about the origin of the money.
“I must admit, judge Sequerah did a fine job in finding the guilty verdict.
“But as an ordinary Umno member, I must say I am disappointed with leaders like Azalina and Zahid. They were the ones who told us that the donations from the Saudis were genuine.
“But Sequerah demolished all that. So Najib stays in Kajang for a long time, for telling a lie, and Zahid and Azalina remain as ministers for the same thing,” he wrote in his Facebook post yesterday.
Zaid Ibrahim
The court had dismissed the Arab donation letters presented by Najib’s defence team in his 1MDB trial as “forgeries”.
“(The) Arab donation narrative is not meritorious. The Arab donation letters were forgeries, and the evidence pointed unmistakably to the fact that the money was, in fact, derived from 1MDB funds.
“This court has found the Arab donation defence to be incapable of belief and has not succeeded in rebutting the presumption of gratification under Section 23 of the MACC Act,” the judge said in delivering his guilty verdict.
15 years’ jail, RM11.38b fine
The High Court had convicted Najib on all four counts of abuse of power and all 21 money laundering charges linked to the 1MDB scandal, and sentenced him to 15 years’ jail and an RM11.38 billion fine.
If he cannot pay the fine, the former prime minister will have to serve another 10 years in jail in default.
The court had dismissed the Arab donation letters presented by Najib’s defence team in his 1MDB trial as “forgeries”.
“(The) Arab donation narrative is not meritorious. The Arab donation letters were forgeries, and the evidence pointed unmistakably to the fact that the money was, in fact, derived from 1MDB funds.
“This court has found the Arab donation defence to be incapable of belief and has not succeeded in rebutting the presumption of gratification under Section 23 of the MACC Act,” the judge said in delivering his guilty verdict.
15 years’ jail, RM11.38b fine
The High Court had convicted Najib on all four counts of abuse of power and all 21 money laundering charges linked to the 1MDB scandal, and sentenced him to 15 years’ jail and an RM11.38 billion fine.
If he cannot pay the fine, the former prime minister will have to serve another 10 years in jail in default.
Najib was also ordered to pay over RM2 billion in sum recoverable for his 21 money laundering offences, and would have to serve an additional two and a half years in prison if he failed to pay.
The 1MDB jail sentences only start after he completes his current imprisonment term over the SRC International case, which is scheduled to end on Aug 23, 2028.
The former prime minister was charged with using his position to obtain gratification totalling RM2.3 billion of 1MDB funds between Feb 24, 2011 and Dec 19, 2014, in violation of Section 23 of the MACC Act.
For the money laundering charges, the 21 offences for which Najib was convicted are nine counts of receiving proceeds of unlawful activity, five counts of using proceeds of unlawful activity, and seven counts of transferring proceeds of unlawful activity.
***
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Azalina Othman Said, who told Parliament in 2016 that the MACC confirmed that the money came from a donation.
“In the RM2.6 billion case investigation, MACC had confirmed that the funds given to the prime minister personally indeed came from the Saudi royal family, based on testimonies by witnesses and supporting documents.
“Based on the overall facts and testimonies, the attorney-general was happy that there was no element of crime in these cases,” she said in a written reply.
“In the RM2.6 billion case investigation, MACC had confirmed that the funds given to the prime minister personally indeed came from the Saudi royal family, based on testimonies by witnesses and supporting documents.
“Based on the overall facts and testimonies, the attorney-general was happy that there was no element of crime in these cases,” she said in a written reply.
So the judge can completely IGNORE the MACC's findings???
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