Tribunnews reporter, Vitry Wolandari
News, KUALA LUMPUR The “prison hostel” recently occupied by former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak may be less than an hour’s drive from his home in Kuala Lumpur’s Bukit Tunku neighborhood.
But the prison that is now his “place of residence” is a world away from the luxury he used to have.
It is noteworthy that Najib lost his last appeal against a 12-year prison sentence last Tuesday.
He was immediately transferred under tight security to the country’s largest prison in Kajang, a sprawling complex southeast of the capital that holds up to 5,000 prisoners and houses facilities for women.
Quoting from the Reuters page, Thursday (25/8/2022), who was first convicted in July 2020, Najib was released on bail pending appeal.
But the country’s Supreme Court later upheld his conviction in breach of trust, abuse of power and money laundering charges, for illegally receiving about $10 million from former state fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB).
The son of Malaysia’s second prime minister served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, but public anger over a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal at 1MDB eventually led to the election’s defeat.
Read also: The day after Najib Razak was imprisoned, the Malaysian Prime Minister attended a meeting at UMNO’s headquarters
Having had golfing experience with former US Presidents Barack Obama, Donald Trump and other world leaders, the son of a British-educated Malay royal will now coexist with the murderers and drug dealers among his fellow convicts in Kajang.
One of these is Azila Hadry, who was a member of Najib’s security unit before she was convicted of the 2006 murder of Mongolian model Altantuya Charibu.