Malaysia court denies ex-PM Najib Razak's request to suspend 15-year jail term

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

Najib, 73, 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 premier in 2009. He denies wrongdoing. Judge Noor ⁠Ruwena ​Md Nordin ⁠said there were no special circumstances warranting 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 ($12.25 million) 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 last year in a separate 1MDB corruption ⁠case. That sentence ⁠is due to begin after his term under house arrest ends in August 2028.