Malaysia’s ex-Premier Najib Razak to go to jail as top court upholds conviction

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Malaysia’s former Prime Minister Najib Razak will go to jail for 12 years as the country’s top court on Tuesday upheld his conviction in a corruption scandal.

A five-member bench of the Southeast Asian nation’s Federal Court upheld the sentence and conviction of Razak, 69, imposed by the Kuala Lumpur High Court in the infamous 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) scandal.

Malaysia's Chief Justice Tun Tengku Maimun Tuan Mat said: “The court was of the opinion that the High Court was correct to call the appellant to enter his defense.”

“We have examined them (defense) in great detail … the defense is so inherently inconsistent that it failed to raise reasonable doubt,” he said, according to Malaysian daily The Star.

“These appeals are therefore unanimously dismissed and the conviction and sentence are affirmed,” the chief justice said.

Razak had challenged the conviction but the Court of Appeal upheld the High Court judgment last December.

The scandal came to light in 2015 when Malaysia's then-Prime Minister Razak was accused of channeling $700 million from the company's fund – known as the 1MDB scandal.