Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak jailed

Malaysians say they hope Najib Razak’s jailing serves as a warning against corruption, as he becomes Malaysia’s first former prime minister to go to prison, after he lost his final appeal on a 12-year jail sentence for corruption on Tuesday.

First convicted in July 2020, Najib had been out on bail pending appeals. His jailing marks a stunning fall for a politician who, until four years ago, had governed Malaysia with an iron grip and suppressed local investigations of the looting of the 1MDB fund.

The country’s top court upheld his guilty verdict over criminal breach of trust, abuse of power, and money laundering charges for illegally receiving about $10 million from a former unit of state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). Investigators have said that more than $1bn went to accounts linked to the former prime minister.

The 69-year-old was taken to the Kajang Prison, about 40km away from the capital Kuala Lumpur.

The son of Malaysia’s second prime minister, Najib held the premiership from 2009 to 2018, when public anger over the multi-billion dollar graft scandal at 1MDB brought election defeat.

Najib faces several more trials over the 1MDB allegations but remains politically influential in Malaysia. His United Malays National Organisation (UMNO) leads the current government after the defections of legislators caused the collapse of the reformist government that won the 2018 polls.

Najib could now apply for a review of the Federal Court decision, though such applications are rarely successful. He can also seek a royal pardon. If successful, he could be released without serving the full 12-year term.