Malaysian ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak lost his final appeal on Tuesday in a graft case linked to the looting of the 1MDB state fund, with the top court unanimously upholding his conviction and 12-year prison sentence.
The loss means Najib will have to begin serving his sentence immediately, becoming the first former prime minister to be jailed.
The five-member Federal Court panel said it found the High Court judge was right in his judgment and that Najib's appeal was “devoid of any merits.”
“This is a simple and straightforward case of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering," said Chief Justice Maimun Tuan Mat, who read out the verdict.
“We are unable to conclude that any of the findings of the High Court, as affirmed by the Court of Appeal, were perverse or plainly wrong so as to warrant appellate intervention. We agree that the defense is so inherently inconsistent and incredible that it does not raise a reasonable doubt on the prosecution case," she said.