KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 23 — Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim commended the 12-year sentencing of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, a decision made by the Federal Court today.

He said that the unanimous decision by the five-member Federal Court bench showed the strength of the rakyat.

"This decision proves that the people are in power. The people made a decision in 2018 to ensure an independent judiciary and a country free from corruption.

"It is the people’s decision that allows the judiciary to make professional and courageous decisions based on the facts and the law instead of political dictators and the powerful people that we have seen for decades,” the PKR president said in a video message on Facebook tonight.

Acknowledging that there is a sense of relief, he emphasised that the future of the country lies in the hands of the people.

"When the rakyat makes wise decisions, the younger ones can decide their future. It is then that the atmosphere and the climate of politics can change,” he said.

Many Opposition MPs such as DAP’s Anthony Loke have also lauded the guilty verdict of Najib, calling it a victory for Malaysians and a "new beginning for Malaysia”.

Najib was convicted on seven charges and sentenced to a 12-year imprisonment and a fine of RM210 million on July 28, 2020. The Federal Court upheld that decision today.