On December 28, observers predict there will be some protests, even violent, in three countries. The Central African Republic, Guinea, and Myanmar have been accused of organizing unfair, even fictitious elections. explains Soraya Lennie.
Published On 26 Dec 2025
EXPLAINER
Najib, 72, was found guilty of 21 counts of money laundering and four counts of abuse of power related to the illegal transfer of $543 million from 1MDB to 1MDB more than ten years ago.
Sentencing for each charge has not yet been announced, but each charge has a maximum sentence of 15 to 20 years in prison.
Najib’s second trial had a connection to the same financial scandal. His first investigation into money evasion proceedings started in April 2019. He was found guilty of misappropriating $9.9 million in 1MDB funds in 2020, and he was also found guilty of money laundering, breach of trust, and of abuse of power. Later, his sentence was reduced to a partial pardon.
Investigators concluded that Najib’s money was allegedly sucked from the state-owned wealth fund into private accounts, including his. Lawyers have called 76 witnesses on the stand during the course of seven years in the legal proceedings for both of his trials, including Najib himself.
Najib and his supporters, who gathered at the court on Friday, contend that his advisers misled him and that the charges against him are politically motivated.
However, Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah stated in his ruling that “the accuser’s allegation that the charges against him were a witch hunt and politically motivated was refuted by the cold, hard, and unconstitutional evidence against him that suggested that the accused had abused their own powerful position in 1MDB, in addition to the extensive powers that he was given.”
The Malaysian Development Berhad, a sovereign wealth fund, is abbreviated as 1MDB. The Malay word for “public limited company” is “berhad.”
The fund was established in 2009 to support Malaysia’s development through partnerships and investments from abroad.
Najib, who presided over 1MDB from 2009 to 2018, was also its chairman.
More than ten years ago, the prosecution claimed that Najib abused his position as prime minister, finance minister, and chairman of the 1MDB advisory board to divert large sums of money from the Malaysian sovereign wealth fund to his personal accounts.
Najib was found guilty of embezzlement in the first separate case in 2020 and is currently imprisoned in Malaysia’s Selangor state of Kajang. Following the partial royal pardon, his sentence was later reduced from 12 years to six. He was scheduled to be released on August 23, 2028.
Investigators discovered that Najib used the 1MDB funds to purchase his superyacht Equanimity and other high-end properties as well as to finance the production of Leonardo DiCaprio’s film The Wolf of Wall Street during this second trial, which resulted in the verdict on Friday this week.
Najib has consistently denied any wrongdoing in the 1MDB scandal, despite having been defeated by former prime minister Mahathir Mohamad in the 2018 general election.
He apologised for handling the scandal in October 2024, but he maintained he had no knowledge about the illegal funds transfers to his personal bank account. Najib claimed during the trial that he thought the Saudi King Abdullah had given him money, a claim the judge on Friday refuted.
Najib also asserted that 1MDB’s advisers and other personnel had defrauded him, including Malaysian financier Jho Low, who is alleged to be the mastermind behind the scandal but who is still at large.
Najib wrote in a letter that “It pains me every day to learn that the 1MDB scandal occurred while I was the prime minister and finance minister.”
BREAKINGBREAKING,
Despite Israel’s military occupation and the ongoing conflict in Gaza, Palestinian Christians gathered in Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas. Nida Ibrahim of Al Jazeera addressed the worshipers, who characterized the events as a sign of hope and resilience.
Published On 26 Dec 2025
Who: Tunisia vs. Nigeria
What: CAF Africa Cup of Nations
Where: Fez Stadium in Fez, Morocco
When: Saturday, December 27, at 9pm (20:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream.
In their opening game, Nigeria were left to rue their inability to convert chances, and the former champions can’t afford to face a determined Tunisian side in Saturday’s crucial game in Fez.
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Tunisia, on the other hand, has momentum and pedigree, having already qualified for the FIFA World Cup in 2015 and underlined their credentials by passing Uganda on Tuesday to take the lead.
Although Nigeria won Group C to take the lead, they were wasteful in front of goal on several occasions, with Victor Osimhen’s star striker failing to make a significant impact on the game.
Their Galatasaray forward will need to step up and rediscover the form that has made him one of the game’s most feared attackers if the three-time AFCON champions have any chance of defeating Tunisia.
What is the essential information for you to know about Tunisia and Nigeria:
In the opening match of the campaign, Nigeria defeated Tanzania 2-1 thanks to a first-half header from attacking midfielder Ademola Lookman and second-half header from defensive midfielder Semi Ajayi.
The Super Eagles won all three points, but Tanzania was flattered by the scoreline, with Nigeria wasted numerous chances to extend their lead, which can frequently be used to determine tournament results.
Tunisia also triumphed in Rabat by defeating Uganda 3-1 in the AFCON competition.
Elias Achouri scored twice on either side of halftime after Ellyes Skhiri’s opener in the opening period.
Tunisia’s two-point total from the AFCON 2023 campaign, which saw them exit in the first round, was surpassed by the three points.
In terms of goal difference, Tunisia are now in the lead in Group C with three points, overtaking second-placed Nigeria. Tanzania is third, while Uganda is at the bottom, both teams having no points.
The top four third-placed teams, along with the top two teams in each group, will advance to the round of 16.
On Tuesday, both teams will wrap up their group stage matches.
No matter the outcome of Nigeria’s match against Tunisia, a win for either Tanzania or Uganda will set up a tense finale in the group.
Final moments of Group C:
Osimhen, the country’s most well-known striker, was far from his best during the opening game against Tanzania, failing repeatedly.
Samuel Chukwueze, the right winger with the most chances, Alex Iwobi, the team’s top scorer, and Lookman, the attacking goalie, made a lot of playmaking mistakes.
The team’s star attacking player is winger Achouri, who scored twice to help Tunisia defeat Uganda.
Other notable Tunisian players include midfielder Skhiri, who also had the most chances, and youngster Hannibal Mejbri, who also had the most chances.
Lasts in all competitions, with the most recent result:
Nigeria: W-L-L-W-W
Tunisia: W-W-D-L-D
Total, Tunisia and Nigeria have met 21 times, including in friendly and competitive matches.
In addition to those seven meetings, Nigeria won six, and eight games ended in draws.
Tunisia won the AFCON final 16 match with a score of 1-0 in January 2022.
Nigeria has won the AFCON 20 times, most recently winning the trophy in 2013 and finishing second overall. In 13 of their last 15 AFCON appearances, they consistently placed in the top three.
Tunisia won the continental championships on their own soil in 2004 after appearing 21 times there. Additionally, they finished as runners-up twice. Tunisia will compete in the 17th AFCON event in a row this year.
Eric Chelle, the head coach of Nigeria, has no current health issues. However, he might make some defensive adjustments, possibly replacing Zaidu Sanusi after his opening game poor left-back performance.
Stanley Nwabali (goalkeeper), Bright Osayi-Samuel, Semi Ajayi, Calvin Bassey, Bruno Onyemaechi, Alex Iwobi, Ademola Lookman, Victor Osimhen, and Akor Adams
Hazem Mastouri’s fitness was put into question after he was forced to leave for Uganda at half-time after making numerous heavy tackles, but he has since been determined fit to face Nigeria.
President Lai and Premier Cho are accused of violating the constitution and the legislative process by the Kuomintang (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on Friday.
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Legislators from the KMT, TPP, and two independents gained enough seats on Friday to start the proceedings, but they are still far behind the two-thirds majority of lawmakers required to pass a May 19 impeachment vote.
Observers claim that the impeachment proceedings provide the opposition with a symbolic platform to express their disapproval of Lai’s presidency and Cho’s leadership despite the fact that they are unlikely to pass any more constitutional hurdles in Taiwan.
According to Yen-tu Su, a top research institution in Taiwan’s Academia Sinica, “it’s impossible to have a real impeachment,” it would be the first president to be considered impeached in the history of Taiwan’s democracy.
“It’s a means to express their protest.” He claimed that it serves as a way to humiliate the president and a way to protest the legislators’ refusal to pass laws.
Since Lai took office in 2024 amid a divided government, Taiwan’s legislature has been largely in disarray.
Although Lai led his center-left Democratic Progressive Party to a record-setting third consecutive term in office last year, political unrest has erupted.
Political parties have engaged in legislative battles over everything from the budget to Taiwan’s relationship with China, to the composition of the island’s constitutional court, whose work has been slowed for the most part due to internal conflict.
The KMT has also blocked the president’s highly anticipated supplemental $40 billion bill to increase Taiwan’s defense spending, while Lai’s government is still struggling to pass some of the 2026 budget.
Cho, for his part, argued that the plan was unworkable by vetoing a bill earlier this month that would have simplified the distribution of tax revenues between Taiwan’s local and central government.
Brian Hioe, a frequent contributor to Taiwan politics and a non-resident fellow at the University of Nottingham’s Taiwan Research Hub, stated to Al Jazeera that the impeachment campaign was more of a symbolic gesture than a practical action.
Hioe said, “I believe it’s just a stunt to get attention.”
They also “just want to portray [Lai] as violating democratic institutions in a way beyond the pale,” he said, adding that the impeachment campaign was likely to appeal to steadfast KMT and TPP supporters rather than swing voters.
Su from Academia Sinica claimed that Taiwan’s political system’s impeachment fight was a sign of much bigger issues.
He claimed that Taiwan is just past its second period of divided government.