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MALAYSIA: Court Rejects Ex-PM Najib Stay Of Sentence, Heading To Prison

ASIA

Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak is set to be his country's first leader ever sent to prison following a decision from Malaysia's top court to turn down a stay of sentence.

  • Najib was convicted 2020 of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering in relation to the corruption investigation into the 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) fund. The judge gave the PM 12 years in prison and fined him MYR210mn (USD46.8mn) for an abuse of power charge, 10 years for each of the criminal breach of trust charges and 10 years for each of the money laundering charges. These sentences will be served concurrently, meaning Najib faces 12 years behind bars.
  • Najib served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, a period in which an estimated USD4.5bn was stolen from the country's sovereign wealth fund. The trial has been viewed as a key test of Malaysia's judicial institutions and has been a dominant factor in political discourse in the country for some time.

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