COMMENT | The Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Center) recognises the conviction of disgraced former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak by the High Court of abuse of power and money laundering charges involving nearly RM2.2 billion in the 1MDB case as a critical step towards accountability.

However, while this conviction is a reminder that no individual, no matter how powerful, is above the law, it cannot lead us to complacency, as many of the same systems and structures that enabled Najib to squander billions in public funds remain to this day.

It has been seven years since Najib was removed from power, yet fundamental anti-corruption reforms have still not materialised to ensure another 1MDB scandal does not happen.

In his judgment, presiding judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah made several key determinations that should put any doubts of Najib’s guilt to rest.

He ruled that the famous “Saudi donation” defence that Najib and his supporters have raised lacked merit and was based on forged letters, that 1MDB officers could not reasonably have conspired against a sitting prime minister, and that attempts to paint Najib as ignorant of wrongdoing occurring under his purview were unreasonable.

However, other determinations raise questions about the robustness of Malaysian law enforcement and bureaucracy. For example, it was found that...