(UPDATE) KUALA LUMPUR — A Malaysian court ruled on Wednesday that jailed former prime minister Najib Razak will have to defend himself against charges of abuse of power and money laundering linked to the scandal-hit 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) sovereign wealth fund.

Chairman Collin Lawrence Sequerah said prosecutors successfully established that Najib had a case to answer for on four counts of abuse of power linked to alleged bribes worth 2.27 billion ringgit ($517 million) as well as 21 counts of money laundering.

“After a maximum evaluation of the evidence, I find that the prosecution has proven the substance of the allegations,” Sequerah told the court.

Six years after being charged for the first time, Najib was in court wearing a navy blue suit on Wednesday and appeared calm after hearing the decision.

The 71-year-old told the court he would take the stand in his defense at the trial, which is scheduled to begin on December 2.

Najib’s lead lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah said his client was “extremely disappointed” by the court’s decision, as the defense had presented arguments they believed warranted serious consideration.

ANOTHER TRIAL Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak (center) is escorted by prison officials upon his arrival at the Kuala Lumpur High Court complex in the capital Kuala Lumpur on October 30, 2024. AP PHOTO

“If you were to ask me what do we feel? Extremely disappointed,” he told reporters outside the courthouse. “But we’re not giving up. We’re going to fight this case, and we’re more determined because of today’s decision.”

Each case of abuse of power is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to five times the amount of the bribe.

Each count of money laundering carries a fine of not more than 5 million ringgit and imprisonment of up to five years, or both.

The hearing came just days after Najib issued an apology that the 1MDB scandal happened during his tenure but maintained he had no knowledge of illegal transfers from the now-defunct sovereign wealth fund.

“It pains me every day to know that the 1MDB debacle happened under my watch as finance minister and prime minister,” Najib wrote in a statement read out by his son Mohamad Nizar on Thursday.

“For that, I would like to apologize unreservedly to the Malaysian people,” he added.

Allegations that billions of dollars were stolen from investment vehicle 1MDB and used to buy everything from a superyacht to works of art played a major role in prompting voters to oust Najib and the long-ruling United Malays National Organization party in the 2018 election.

The 1MDB scandal sparked investigations in the US, Switzerland and Singapore, whose financial systems were believed to have been used to launder the money.

The current case is one of five brought against Najib in 2018 and involves Tanore Finance Corp., which US authorities have said was used to siphon money from 1MDB.

Najib began serving a 12-year prison term in August 2022 for crimes linked to the misuse of public funds from former 1MDB entity SRC International. The sentence was later halved by Malaysia’s Pardons Board.

The 1MDB audit manipulation trial ended with an acquittal at the High Court in 2023.

Najib, the British-educated son of one of Malaysia’s founding fathers, still has an ongoing breach of trust case involving 6.6 billion ringgit, as well as a money laundering trial involving 27 million ringgit.

The US Department of Justice has said that more than $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB between 2009 and 2015 by senior officials at the fund and their associates.