Jailed Najib fell mightily from peak of Malaysian politics

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Najib Razak is Malaysia’s first former prime minister to go to prison — a mighty fall for a politician whose father and uncle were also prime ministers. As both finance minister and prime minister, Najib guided his country through the global financial crisis of 2009, abolished draconian colonial-era security laws and reached out to ethnic minorities. The 1MDB financial scandal that brought him down was not just a personal blow but also shook the stranglehold his political party had over Malaysian politics. The U.S. Justice Department alleged at least $4.5 billion was stolen from 1MDB and laundered by Najib’s associates. Najib was sentenced to 12 years’ imprisonment for abuse of power and other crimes for receiving $9.4 million from a former unit of 1MDB.