A U.S. jury convicted Najib Razak.
Najib's recorded criminal conviction is the Malaysian SRC case (2020, affirmed 2022). U.S. actions against him in the famous file are civil forfeiture of assets, not a Manhattan guilty verdict.
Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.
Notoriety78
Mystery30
Scale90
Evidence75
Legal impact70
Culture65
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Quick answers
What was 1MDB?
1Malaysia Development Berhad was a Malaysian state-owned development fund established in 2009. U.S. and Malaysian proceedings later described large diversions from the fund and related units, including SRC International.
When did the scandal become public?
Sarawak Report and the Wall Street Journal published major document-based stories in 2015. The U.S. DOJ filed civil forfeiture complaints in 2016. Those years are the public break, not the start of the underlying transfers.
What was Najib Razak convicted of?
On 28 July 2020 the High Court in Kuala Lumpur convicted him on seven SRC International counts, including abuse of power, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering. The sentence was twelve years and a fine of RM210 million. The Federal Court affirmed on 23 August 2022.
Did the United States convict Najib?
No. The U.S. case most often cited is civil forfeiture of alleged proceeds, plus criminal cases against bankers (Leissner plea; Ng conviction). Najib's recorded criminal conviction in this atlas is the Malaysian SRC judgment.
What did Goldman Sachs pay?
In 2020 Goldman announced resolutions with the United States and other governments totaling about $2.9 billion, plus arrangements to return value related to 1MDB. Tim Leissner had pleaded guilty in 2018.
Who is Jho Low?
Low Taek Jho, a Malaysian financier, is described in DOJ complaints as a central intermediary. He was not in custody in the mid-2020s public record and is treated as a fugitive in those papers.
The SRC conviction is final in the Federal Court. Custody conditions and other indictments continued to move.
Myths treat the U.S. civil number as a Malaysian verdict, or treat a pardon rumor as an acquittal.
Still open
- Jho Low's location and trial — A completed personal criminal judgment against Low was not on the mid-2020s public docket. That is a fugitive gap, not a hole in the SRC verdict.
- Other Malaysian 1MDB trials — Additional charges and related-company cases continued after SRC. Each has its own record.
- Clemency and house arrest — Post-2022 Malaysian clemency changed how the SRC sentence was served. Official notices, not foreign headlines, are the source for confinement status.
- Remaining asset fights — Some properties and third-party claims lingered after the headline Goldman and DOJ settlements.
- Ng and other appeals — Banker appellate issues can adjust U.S. criminal outcomes without touching the SRC judgment.
Myth vs record
The Wolf of Wall Street was the fraud.
The film is an alleged proceeds story in DOJ complaints. The SRC conviction is about a related Malaysian unit and specific counts in Kuala Lumpur.
Goldman 'stole' $4.5 billion.
DOJ diversion figures describe funds taken from 1MDB. Goldman paid about $2.9 billion in 2020 to resolve enforcement actions over the bond work and related conduct -- a different number and theory.
A later pardon means he was never convicted.
Clemency can alter a sentence or custody. It does not rewrite the 28 July 2020 High Court judgment out of existence.
Local notes
Journal plus Sarawak Report
English-language finance desks still pair a global newspaper with a specialist site as the 2015 origin -- a double byline the FT also acknowledged in later reconstructors.
Hollywood as a hook
U.S. and U.K. magazines led with the movie. Legal desks had to reintroduce SRC counts and FCPA pleas under that headline.
Two-capitals explainers
Good English-language explainers keep Kuala Lumpur and New York on separate tracks. Poor ones add the DOJ billions to the RM fine as if they were one judgment.
The aftermath is a fugitive, a custody debate, and a conviction that foreign civil numbers neither replace nor cancel.
Public-record encyclopedia. Not legal advice. Not a how-to. Graphic detail is withheld. Wars belong in a separate atlas.