Najib Razak's stepson made The Wolf of Wall Street with money from Malaysia's state fund, and Najib was given 15 more years in prison

Najib Razak, the son of a prominent political family, set up the state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad soon after becoming prime minister in 2009 and chaired its advisory board. The US Justice Department says associates of Najib looted more than $4.5 billion from it between 2009 and 2014, laundering it through the United States, Singapore and Switzerland. Prosecutors said $248 million went into accounts of Red Granite Pictures, co-founded by Najib's stepson Riza Aziz, which produced The Wolf of Wall Street. Red Granite paid the US $60 million to settle, and the US returned the money to Malaysia. In May 2020 Riza was discharged without acquittal on five money-laundering charges after a deal under which the government would recover $107.3 million of overseas assets, about 43 percent. In February 2025 1MDB withdrew its $248 million civil suit against him. Najib was already serving a sentence in a related case. On 26 December 2025 the High Court convicted him on four counts of abuse of power and 21 of money laundering over more than $700 million paid into his accounts, rejected his claim that it was a Saudi donation, and sentenced him to 15 years, to run after his current term. His wife Rosmah Mansor was sentenced to 10 years in a separate case in 2022. Low Taek Jho, called the scheme's mastermind, is at large. Status: Najib convicted, appeal against conviction and sentence filed on 29 December 2025; Rosmah on bail pending appeal; Riza discharged, not acquitted.