A Malaysian court denied former prime minister Najib Razak's request to suspend a 15-year jail term in connection with the 1MDB scandal on Wednesday despite expectations he could soon be transferred to house arrest following a pardon in a separate case.

The 73-year-old has been in prison since 2022 after Malaysia's top court upheld his conviction for graft and money laundering linked to the alleged theft of billions of dollars from 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a state fund he co-founded while prime minister in 2009. He denies wrongdoing.

Judge Noor Ruwena Md Nordin said there were no special circumstances to warrant a stay of the sentence.

"Therefore on final merit, the application is accordingly dismissed, the judge said.

Last month, Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim granted a conditional pardon to Najib, allowing him to serve the remainder of his sentence at home, provided he pay a 50 million ringgit fine.

Najib's lawyers later asked the Kuala Lumpur High Court to stay an additional 15-year sentence imposed after he was found guilty in December in a separate 1MDB corruption case.

That sentence is due to begin after his term under house arrest ends in August 2028. (Reuters)



Edited by Cecil Wong