RM42 million not Saudi donation, Malaysia's ex-PM Najib confesses in court

Malaysia's ex-prime minister Najib Razak acknowledged on Thursday (Jan 22) that the RM42 million (S$13 million) received in his personal bank accounts were not related to any donation from Saudi Arabia.

He told the High Court that at the time of receiving the funds, he believed it was a "Saudi donation" when cross-examined by SRC International's counsel Kwan Will Sen during a civil suit, reported Bernama.

Pressed by Kwan if the "truth in your mind" now is that the monies had "nothing to do" with a donation from Saudi Arabia, Najib agreed.

"Based on subsequent knowledge, yes," the jailed ex-PM was quoted as saying.

SRC International - once a subsidiary of state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) before being taken over by the Malaysian finance ministry in 2012 - and Gandingan Mentari Sdn Bhd had filed the civil suit against Najib to recover the RM42 million.

The suit alleges that Najib, 72, had wrongfully received the monies from SRC International and misused it.

In 2020, Najib had reportedly stated in court proceedings that he believed the RM42 million was from the balance of a donation from Saudi Arabia's former king.

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Last December, a High Court judge in Najib's 1MDB case rejected that the funds were from a Saudi donation, noting that no government or political party had formally acknowledged the said "donation".

On Wednesday, Najib responded in agreement to Kwan's statement that the defence of the Saudi donation was dismissed by all levels of the courts, according to the Malay Mail.

"I have to clarify because I didn't have the opportunity to do a full explanation at the Federal Court. That's why...a senior judge... concluded I didn't get a fair trial," he reportedly said.

Ultimately, he confirmed that majority finding upheld the conclusion that the funds were not a Saudi donation.

Najib has been in jail since 2022 for corruption and money laundering over funds from SRC International. He is appealing an additional 15 years' jail term handed down in December 2025 for corruption charges related to 1MDB.

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com