KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 19, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Jailed former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak faces a make-or-break week from Monday as a second court battle over his role in the country's 1MDB mega-corruption scandal draws to an end.

The 72-year-old -- already serving six years for graft linked to the sovereign wealth fund's plunder -- risks another lengthy prison term if convicted of fresh charges next Friday after a marathon trial.

But Monday brings a separate High Court ruling on his bid to change his current sentence -- being served at Kajang Prison outside Kuala Lumpur since August 2022 -- to one of house arrest.

Next Friday's verdict on charges of abuse of power and money laundering worth hundreds of millions of dollars looms larger, however.

Prosecutors say Najib abused his position as prime minister, finance minister and 1MDB advisory board chairman to move large amounts of money from the fund to his personal account more than a decade ago.

He faces four counts of abuse of power to obtain some 2.28 billion ringgit ($554 million) from 1MDB funds, plus 21 counts of money laundering.

The prosecution presented bank records, testimony from over 50 witnesses and documentary evidence, while slapping down defense arguments blaming Najib's close associate -- the shadowy fugitive businessman Low Taek Jho, also known as Jho Low.

Low, who is currently on the run, is seen as the mastermind behind the scheme to plunder the country's investment vehicle and spend the proceeds on everything from high-end real estate, to pricey art, including a Monet and a Van Gogh.

- 'Absolute control' -

"The accused (Najib) paints himself as a victim of rogue subordinates, when in truth, he was the single most powerful decision-maker," Deputy Public Prosecutor Ahmad Akram Gharib told the court during closing submissions.

"The accused wielded absolute financial, executive and political control," the Bernama national news agency quoted Ahmad Akram as saying.

But Najib's lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah -- who framed funds received by Najib as donations -- on Thursday told journalists his client "never got a fair trial".

"The main architect is Jho Low, who committed the biggest fraud the world has ever seen," Shafee said.

Najib has issued an apology for the 1MDB scandal happening during his tenure, but maintains he knew nothing about illegal transfers from the now-defunct state fund.

- Tainted image -

In a separate hearing on Monday, he seeks to serve the rest of a six-year sentence under house arrest instead of in jail after a judge earlier this year ruled he could use an apparent royal decree to support his claim.

However, if convicted on the new charges, Najib faces a lengthy extension to his current sentence and a further blow to his political clout within Malaysia's oldest political party, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO).

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

The allegations that stolen funds were used for extravagant purchases played a major role in voters ousting Najib and the long-ruling UMNO party in 2018 elections.

The 1MDB scandal sparked investigations in the United States, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Singapore, where the funds were allegedly laundered and damaged Malaysia's image abroad.