From PM to prison: Malaysia's Najib feels alone and overwhelmed by 'betrayal'
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Loading... - Martin Philippe
- 23 Aug 2022
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Having played golf with U.S. presidents Donald Trump and Barack Obama, former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak will now count convicted murderers and drug traffickers as neighbours.
The Federal Court ordered Najib to begin a 12-year prison sentence on Tuesday after upholding a conviction on charges related to a multi-billion dollar graft scandal at state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
This was his final appeal and the former premier, dressed impeccably in a dark suit and grey tie, was taken straight to jail from the courthouse.
It marked a stunning turn of events for a leader who held tightly on to power at the peak of accusations over 1MDB when he suppressed local probes, fired investigators and clamped down on critics even as other countries opened investigations into the wide-ranging scandal.
Malaysians, outraged over widespread corruption and the opulence displayed by his family, voted him out in 2018.
Najib tried to leave the country soon afterwards, but he was stopped, arrested briefly and his properties raided in scenes that Malaysians did not expect to see involving the son of the nation's well-respected second prime minister, Abdul Razak Hussein.
Since then, the former premier has spent the better part of his time in court, defending himself against a total of 42 charges. He has maintained his innocence all along and said he was misled by 1MDB officials. Read More...
