Kuala lumpur: Chief Justice Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh stated that it is customary for judges not to respond to public criticism of court decisions. He addressed this issue in response to questions about the judiciary's criticism following the verdict and detailed judgment delivered on December 26, 2025, in the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) case involving former Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Datuk Seri Wan Ahmad Farid Wan Salleh remarked, "Judges do not respond to criticism. We answer only through our grounds of judgment, our written judgments. Whenever anybody attacks us on the internet, we do not reply," during a press conference after the Opening of the Legal Year 2026.

On December 26, the High Court sentenced Najib to 15 years in prison and imposed an RM11.4 billion fine after convicting him on four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering related to RM2.3 billion from 1MDB. The sentence was ordered to take effect after Najib completes his six-year prison term in the SRC International Sdn Bhd case involving the misappropriation of RM42 million, which ends on August 23, 2028.