Defeated Malaysian leader, wife barred from leaving country

Malaysia's Immigration Department said today that former scandal-ridden Prime Minister Najib Razak and his wife are barred from leaving the country, shortly after he announced plans for a short holiday.

A leaked flight manifesto shows Najib and his wife Rosmah Mansor were due to leave on a private jet on Saturday to Jakarta, fueling rumors he was fleeing the country to escape possible prosecution over a massive corruption scandal involving the 1MDB state fund.

His coalition suffered a shocking electoral defeat this week that ended its 60 year-rule. Later Saturday, Najib told a news conference that he was stepping down with immediate effect as president of the United Malays National Organisation as well as chairman of the National Front coalition. He said his deputy Ahmad Zahid Hamidi will take over as president of UMNO, a party that dominates the coalition.

The announcement followed strong calls from the party for the 64-year-old to step down.

"We accept the people's verdict with an open heart. Maybe this will be an opportunity for us to fix our weaknesses and shortcomings, although these are more a matter of perceptions than reality," he said.

"God willing, UMNO will continue to live." In his earlier statement on social media, Najib said he was committed to "facilitating a smooth transfer of power."
The Immigration Department, which had initially said there was no travel blacklist for Najib, issued a brief statement that Najib and Rosmah "have just been blacklisted from leaving the country."