KUALA LUMPUR — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has issued a public apology to the people of Malaysia for the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal, which occurred during his tenure as both prime minister and finance minister.
The apology was delivered through his son, Datuk Mohd Nizar, at the Kuala Lumpur court complex, marking Najib’s first public statement addressing the 1MDB debacle since his imprisonment over two years ago.
“It pains me to know the 1MDB debacle happened under my watch as the minister of finance and prime minister,” Najib said. “For that, I would like to apologise unreservedly to the Malaysian people.”
Najib expressed deep regret for the incident, describing his shock at learning about the full extent of the “wretched and unconscionable shenanigans” involved in the 1MDB corruption scheme. He stated that while he has faced political punishment, he believes he should not be legally victimised, as he was not the mastermind and did not collaborate with fugitive financier Jho Low.
“I have already been punished politically but as I am clearly not the mastermind and neither did I collaborate with Jho Low as recent events have shown, I should not be victimised legally,” Najib added.
Najib’s remarks come after 26 months in jail, following his conviction in 2020 for his role in the 1MDB scandal, which saw billions of dollars misappropriated from the state investment fund, triggering investigations across multiple countries and severely damaging Malaysia’s international reputation.