News & Knowledge / Facts
Former Malaysian prime minister found guilty of fraud #Malaysian #prime #minister #guilty #fraud
Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was found guilty on Friday of abusing his power to loot millions of dollars from the 1MDB sovereign wealth fund and launder the profits.
His sentencing, expected later Friday, will likely add to the six-year sentence he is already serving for a separate case linked to the now-defunct public investment vehicle.
Presiding Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah convicted the 72-year-old former leader on all four counts of abuse of power, as well as all 21 counts of money laundering, involving about 2.28 billion ringgit ($554 million) from the fund.
Najib, dressed in a navy suit and white shirt, was seen looking down, slumped in his seat as the judge read the verdict.
While Najib, the son of one of the country’s founding fathers, was groomed for leadership from a young age, he experienced a dramatic fall from power as public anger mounted over the corruption scandal.
Since his election defeat in 2018, investigations under successive governments have ensnared him and his wife Rosmah Mansor in corruption allegations.
Prosecutors say Najib abused his positions as prime minister, finance minister and chairman of 1MDB’s advisory board to transfer large sums from the fund to his personal accounts more than a decade ago.
According to investigators, the fund’s profits were used to finance high-end real estate, a luxury yacht and valuable works of art.
– ‘Without merit’ –
Delivering his verdict on Friday morning, Judge Sequerah rejected several arguments from defense lawyers, including that Najib had been deceived by his close associate, mystery businessman Low Taek Jho, better known as Jho Low.
“The evidence clearly indicates that this was not a coincidence but a relationship in which Jho Low operated as a proxy or agent of the accused (Najib) in relation to the management of the affairs of 1MDB,” Sequerah said.
The defense argument that Najib was “misled and deceived by management and by Jho Low is without merit”, the judge said.
1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) was a public investment fund launched by Najib in 2009, shortly after he became prime minister.
The whistleblowers said Jho Low, a well-connected Malaysian financier with no official role, helped set up the fund and made key financial decisions.
It is estimated that more than $4.5 billion was embezzled from 1MDB between 2009 and 2015 by the fund’s managers and associates, including Low, who is currently on the run.
Justice Sequerah also rejected claims that Middle Eastern donors were responsible for the money flowing into Najib’s accounts, calling it “a tale that surpasses even those from The Arabian Nights”.
The prosecution presented bank statements, testimony from more than 50 witnesses and documentary evidence.
Najib “presents himself as a victim of rogue subordinates, when in reality he was the most powerful decision maker,” deputy prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib told the court during closing arguments.
“The defendants exercised absolute financial, executive and political control,” he said.
– Bumpy image –
Najib’s lawyers have previously said the politician was unaware that 1MDB management was working hand-in-hand with Low to siphon large sums of money from the fund, ostensibly created to foster economic growth in Malaysia.
Najib’s lawyer, Muhammad Shafee Abdullah, told reporters last week that his client “never received a fair trial.”
He again blamed Low for the scandal, which triggered investigations in several countries, from Singapore to the United States, and tarnished Malaysia’s image abroad.
Najib has apologized for allowing the 1MDB scandal to occur during his time in office, but has always denied any wrongdoing, saying he knew nothing about the fund’s illegal transfers.
His legal battle was dealt a further blow on Monday after he lost his bid to serve the remainder of his current prison sentence at home rather than in Kajang Prison, outside Kuala Lumpur.
Each count of abuse of power carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years and a fine of up to five times the amount of the bribe.
AFP
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News & Knowledge / Facts
MARKETS EUROPE/DAX is up slightly at target level #MARKETS #EUROPEDAX #slightly #target #level
DJ MARKETS EUROPA/DAX is up slightly from the target level
DOW JONES–European stock markets are higher Tuesday afternoon. There is little news and most investors are no longer active as the start of the year approaches. We cannot exclude the so-called “window dressing” of individual stocks, i.e. the targeted maintenance of prices in the portfolios of institutional investors. On some exchanges, trading is shortened only on Tuesdays. Trading in Germany and Austria ends at 2 p.m. THIS. While today is the last trading day of the year on some exchanges, shortened listings will take place on Wednesday in Lisbon, London, Madrid and Paris.
The DAX gained 0.5 percent to 24,476 points; the index is up 22 percent since the start of the year. The DAX can look back on an excellent year overall. “A closer look, however, shows that only the first half of the year was excellent for the DAX. The second half of the year was more of a sideways trend,” explains QC Partners. The MDAX is once again lagging and is up 19 percent year to date. The TecDAX has a meager yield of 5 percent. This continues the pattern of German blue-chip companies performing better in their international operations than German mid-sized companies. Whether this will change with Germany’s billion-dollar investment program remains to be seen.
The Euro-Stoxx-50 rose by 0.6 percent to 5,789 points. The majority of the year’s best-performing countries come from the South, where European economic growth was based last year. The Spanish stock market rose by 48 percent, while in Athens the index even rose by 50 percent.
On the foreign exchange market, the euro changes little, at $1.1769; During the year, the greenback lost a lot of value. This is unlikely to make it easier for European companies to sell more expensive products around the world due to the strength of the euro next year. Yields on the bond markets are up slightly. After the liquidation of the day before, precious metals are recovering. The price of gold rose 1.2 percent to $4,385, silver rose 3.8 percent to $74.90. Not surprisingly, European mining stocks were one of the day’s winners, rising 1.6 percent. Shares of silver producer Fresnillo rose 5.5 percent.
The geopolitical situation remains tense. US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with a military strike if the country resumes its nuclear program. Meanwhile, Hamas was threatened with serious consequences if the terrorist organization did not lay down its arms. Finally, China is organizing one of the largest military exercises in recent years off the coast of Taiwan. This is likely a reaction to the recent announcement of US arms deliveries to the island nation.
Additionally, the United States recently carried out an attack on a port area in Venezuela where US President Trump said drugs were being loaded onto boats and smuggled across international waters, saying a “big explosion” had occurred. Oil prices are barely reacting to this news. Brent is up 0.4 percent.
Defense stocks are recovering after the selling pressures of the day before. There is still no sign of progress in peace or ceasefire negotiations in Ukraine. Rheinmetall gained 2.1 percent, Renk 2.5 percent and Hensoldt 0.9 percent.
Meanwhile, bank stocks continue to run. The sector can look forward to a good year in 2025 thanks to the rise in yields on the bond markets. Deutsche Bank gains 1.5 percent and Commerzbank 2.0 percent.
Chipmaker Infineon’s sales growth (+1.8%) is down, with only one sector seeing strong growth: semiconductors to power AI data centers. “We are seeing a strong increase in demand and many indicators suggest that this will continue in the coming years,” CEO Jochen Hanebeck told Handelsblatt. “We currently cannot deliver as much as customers order.”
=== INDEX zuletzt +/- % absolut +/- % YTD Euro-Stoxx-50 5.788,57 +0,6% 36,86 +17,4% Stoxx-50 4.918,84 +0,5% 25,52 +13,6% DAX 24.476,16 +0,5% 125,04 +22,3% MDAX 30.548,50 +0,3% 95,97 +18,4% TecDAX 3.613,61 +0,4% 13,79 +5,0% SDAX 17.094,60 +0,5% 78,05 +22,6% CAC 8.141,91 +0,4% 29,89 +9,8% SMI 13.259,65 +0,1% 19,06 +14,2% ATX 5.304,29 +1,1% 56,33 +43,2% DEVISEN zuletzt +/- % 0:00 Mo, 18:00 % YTD EUR/USD 1,1769 +0,0% 1,1767 1,1756 +13,7% EUR/JPY 183,56 -0,1% 183,67 183,59 +13,1% EUR/CHF 0,9286 -0,1% 0,9291 0,9287 -1,0% EUR/GBP 0,8715 -0,0% 0,8716 0,8712 +5,4% USD/JPY 155,94 -0,1% 156,03 156,12 -0,5% GBP/USD 1,3505 +0,0% 1,3502 1,3494 +7,9% USD/CNY 7,0292 -0,0% 7,0312 7,0324 -2,3% USD/CNH 6,9881 -0,2% 6,9987 7,0001 -4,5% AUS/USD 0,6701 +0,1% 0,6693 0,6690 +8,4% Bitcoin/USD 87.770,40 +0,6% 87.232,35 87.544,55 -7,3% ROHÖL zuletzt VT-Settlem. +/- % +/- USD % YTD WTI/Nymex 58,29 58,08 +0,4% 0,21 -20,9% Brent/ICE 62,12 61,94 +0,3% 0,18 -19,4% METALLE zuletzt Vortag +/- % +/- USD % YTD Gold 4.384,52 4.330,40 +1,2% 54,12 +72,8% Silber 74,90 72,18 +3,8% 2,73 +173,6% Platin 1.854,76 1.791,70 +3,5% 63,06 +137,7% Kupfer 5,49 5,49 0% 0,00 +33,6% YTD bezogen auf Schlussstand des Vortags (Angaben ohne Gewähr) ===
Contact the author: maerkte.de@dowjones.com
DJG/thl/ros
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 30, 2025 7:01 a.m. ET (12:01 p.m. GMT)
Copyright (c) 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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News & Knowledge / Facts
Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic prepares for MRI after injuring knee in Miami #Nuggets #Nikola #Jokic #prepares #MRI #injuring #knee #Miami
MIAMI — Nuggets star Nikola Jokic limped off the court at halftime of Denver’s 147-123 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday night after injuring his left knee about three seconds before intermission.
He was not on the field in the second half and will have an MRI on Tuesday.
“Immediately he knew something was wrong,” Nuggets coach David Adelman said after the game. “Hey, that’s part of the NBA. Anyone who gets hurt in this game, it’s a little heartbreaking, especially someone as special as him. We’ll know more tomorrow. We’ll move forward as a team. Obviously, right now, I’m more concerned about him as a person and the disappointment of going through something like this.”
Jokic was alone under the basket and appeared to step forward to help Denver’s Spencer Jones defend a drive by Miami’s Jaime Jaquez Jr. as time was about to expire in the second quarter. While reversing, Jones stepped on Jokic’s left foot and it appeared the center’s knee bent a bit.
Jokic collapsed on the court, grabbing his knee. He was helped to his feet, then made his way to the locker room under his own power but with a pronounced limp. He was evaluated by doctors Monday night before leaving the arena, and the Nuggets were scheduled to fly to Toronto on Tuesday for a game against the Raptors on Wednesday.
“It’s just part of this process,” Adelman said. “You don’t get definitive answers right after these things happen. I know he’s an extremely special player that people want updates on immediately; that makes perfect sense to me. But we will follow the process properly, for him and for our team.”
The Nuggets have faced major injury issues this season and were playing Monday without three potential contenders: Christian Braun (left ankle sprain), Aaron Gordon (right hamstring sprain) and Cameron Johnson (right knee injury management).
Denver has managed to fight its way through these injuries – thanks in large part to Jokic.
“The things he’s doing this year,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said before Monday’s game, “are really remarkable.”
Jokic had 21 points, 8 assists and 5 rebounds in the first half on Monday. If he sits out for any length of time, it will be a major blow to Denver and, in some ways, the entire NBA, given that he is one of the game’s superstars. Even a month’s absence would mean about 16 games, which could have a serious impact on Denver’s standing in a loaded Western Conference.
“Tonight my mind is going to wander,” Adelman said. “And there will be questions about what we should do in the future if he is out for a while or a long period of time.”
Jokic is a three-time MVP and was certainly early in the MVP conversation this season, having started Monday averaging 29.9 points, 12.4 rebounds and 11.1 assists – on track to average a triple-double for the second straight campaign.
“He’s not only a big part of what we do, but almost everything we do,” Nuggets guard Jamal Murray said. “We just want to see him healthy, and everyone here is ready to step up.”
Jokic has also been remarkably durable. He has missed 36 games over the past five seasons; the Nuggets went 13-23 during those absences. He played in all 32 games for Denver this season.
“I hope for the best,” Adelman said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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News & Knowledge / Facts
Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking Putin’s residence with drones; Kyiv denies allegations #Russia #accuses #Ukraine #attacking #Putins #residence #drones #Kyiv #denies #allegations
The conflict, which began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia on Monday accused Ukraine of launching a large-scale drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences in the Novgorod region, a claim kyiv dismissed as a “fabrication” intended to derail ongoing peace talks.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Ukraine deployed 91 long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) overnight from Sunday to Monday. He claimed that all drones were intercepted and destroyed by Russian air defenses and that there were no casualties or damage. Lavrov called Ukraine’s actions “state terrorism” and warned that Russia would reconsider its negotiating position in the U.S.-led peace process.
Ukraine has strongly denied these allegations. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the claims “typical Russian lies” designed to justify further attacks on Ukraine and undermine peace efforts with the United States. “It is essential that the world does not remain silent now,” Zelensky said on X, calling for continued international support for the negotiations.
The accusation comes shortly after Zelensky met with US President Donald Trump in Florida to discuss a revised peace plan. Ukraine says it has accepted 90% of the US proposal, including post-war security guarantees, although territorial disputes remain unresolved.
Zelensky rejected the request
Speaking to Fox News, Zelensky said that while there is a “possibility of ending this war” by 2026, Ukraine still counts on support from the United States. He also expressed skepticism about Putin’s desire to seek peace.
The conflict, which began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has left much of the eastern Donbass region disputed. Russia controls around 75% of Donetsk and 99% of Luhansk, while Ukraine continues to resist Moscow’s advances.
As tensions rise, international attention is now focused on whether alleged attacks like the one on Putin’s residence further complicate the fragile peace process.
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