Malaysia

Malaysia's ex-army chief charged with money laundering in defence scandal

Malaysia's former army chief was charged Thursday with laundering more than 2.1 million ringgit ($519,000) after investigations into alleged corruption in defence contracts. Hafizuddiean Jantan, 57, pleaded not guilty to four charges of receiving proceeds from illegal activities between 2024 and 2025 under the anti-money laundering law. He would face up to 15 years in prison and fines if convicted. His wife, Salwani Anuar, separately pleaded not guilty to laundering 77,000 ringgit ($19,000). Both were released on bail. The anti-corruption agency said Wednesday that Mohamad Nizam Jaafar, who served as defence forces chief in 2025, would face charges Friday including abuse of power and criminal breach of trust. The cases are believed to be the first brought against Malaysian chiefs of the army and defence forces - the military's most senior posts. The investigation that began last month has led to raids on firms, arrests of senior officers and the seizure of millions of ringgit linke

Asean won't endorse election in military-ruled Myanmar, says Malaysia

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations will not endorse elections in military-ruled Myanmar, Malaysia's foreign minister said Tuesday, citing concerns over the lack of inclusive and free participation. Myanmar's military-backed political party appeared headed for a parliamentary majority after the second round of voting earlier this month in the country's first general election since the army ousted a civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. The takeover triggered widespread opposition that has grown into a civil war. Human rights and opposition groups say the polls were neither free nor fair and are an effort by the military to legitimise its rule. Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan told Parliament that ASEAN leaders decided at their summit in October not to send observers to Myanmar because conditions for a credible election were not met, though some member countries chose to do so individually. Myanmar's Information Ministry said last month that ASEAN .

Malaysia, Indonesia become first to block Musk's Grok over AI deepfakes

Malaysia and Indonesia have become the first countries to block Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot developed by Elon Musk's xAI, after authorities said it was being misused to generate sexually explicit and non-consensual images. The moves reflect growing global concern over generative AI tools that can produce realistic images, sound and text, while existing safeguards fail to prevent their abuse. The Grok chatbot, which is accessed through Musk's social media platform X, has been criticised for generating manipulated images, including depictions of women in bikinis or sexually explicit poses, as well as images involving children. Regulators in the two Southeast Asian nations said existing controls were not preventing the creation and spread of fake pornographic content, particularly involving women and minors. Indonesia's government temporarily blocked access to Grok on Saturday, followed by Malaysia on Sunday. "The government sees non-consensual sexual deepfakes as a serio

Ex-Malaysia PM Najib Razak jailed for 15 more years in 1MDB corruption case

Delivering the judgment, Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah rejected Najib's defence that the case was politically driven

Ex-Malaysian PM Najib Razak convicted in trial over 1MDB corruption scandal

Imprisoned former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was convicted Friday following a corruption trial tied to multibillion-dollar looting of the 1MDB state investment fund. The nation's High Court found Najib, 72, guilty on three counts of abuse of power. Rulings on additional charges were still being delivered Friday afternoon. Authorities said he siphoned more than $700 million into his personal bank accounts from the 1MDB fund. Najib, who served as prime minister from 2009 to 2018, currently is serving a prison sentence after being convicted in an earlier case linked to the 1MDB scandal, which led to his government's defeat in 2018. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2020 for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving 42 million ringgit ($10.3 million) channelled into his accounts from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB. He began his sentence in August 2022 after losing a final appeal, becoming Malaysia's first former leader to be ..

Malaysian court rejects ex-PM Razak's bid to serve rest of sentence at home

A Malaysian court Monday rejected former Prime Minister Najib Razak's bid to serve the remainder of his graft sentence under house arrest. The court ruled that a rare royal order issued by the nation's former king was not valid and not made in accordance with constitutional requirements. Najib's lawyer told the court they plan to appeal the verdict. The 72-year-old former prime minister will serve the remainder of his term in prison, scheduled to end in August 2028 after the Pardons Board cut the 12-year sentence by half last year. Najib is serving time after being convicted in a trial linked to the multibillion-dollar looting of the 1MDB state fund that toppled his government in 2018. Najib was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2020 for abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving 42 million ringgit ($10.3 million) channeled into his bank accounts from SRC International, a former unit of 1MDB. He began his sentence in August 2022 after losing his fina

What Malaysia needs to get right as search for missing MH370 begins again?

More than 11 years later, the search for the aircraft will begin again this month. Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has an opportunity to correct what previous administrations bungled

Deep-sea search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 to resume from Dec 30

Malaysia's transport ministry said Wednesday that the deep-sea hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 will resume Dec 30, renewing hopes of finally locating the jet that vanished without a trace more than a decade ago. The Boeing 777 plane disappeared from radar shortly after taking off on March 8, 2014, carrying 239 people, mostly Chinese nationals, on a flight from Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, to Beijing. Satellite data showed the plane turned from its flight path and headed south to the far-southern Indian Ocean, where it is believed to have crashed. The transport ministry said in a statement that US-based marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity will search intermittently from Dec 30 for a total of 55 days, in targeted areas believed to have the highest likelihood of finding the missing aircraft. The latest development underscores the government of Malaysia's commitment in providing closure to the families affected by this tragedy, it said. Malaysia's government gave the green

Malaysia regains its momentum, but questions remain over durability

While there was plenty of pomp for US President Donald Trump and leaders at the recent Association of Southeast Asian Nations meeting, exports will take a hit from American tariffs

US singer wants divorce from Malaysia's ex-king after 'secret marriage'

Brittany Porter, 30, said she believed the 2024 ceremony in Oman was an engagement, only to later learn it was a legally binding Islamic marriage to the former Malaysian monarch

Trump's 'historic' trade deals give US major edge over Southeast Asia

The pacts give Trump some clear wins, like the removal of many tariff and non-tariff barriers on US exports into those countries and pledges to spend billions of dollars on American goods

India-US ties under strain: Jaishankar, Rubio hold trade talks in Malaysia

S Jaishankar and Marco Rubio met as India and the US continue talks on a trade pact; five rounds of negotiations are done, and officials say the agreement is now close to being finalised

Trump leaves Malaysia after signing trade deals, Thai-Cambodia peace treaty

The Asean Summit also provided a platform for Trump to connect with Japan's newly elected Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi

Jaishankar holds talks with Malaysian PM on sidelines of Asean summit

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday held talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit and conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's best wishes for the successful event. Honoured to meet Prime Minister @anwaribrahim of Malaysia. Conveyed the best wishes of Prime Minister @narendramodi for a successful ASEAN Summit, Jaishankar, who is in Kuala Lumpur to attend the annual ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) summit, posted on social media. Value his thoughts on strengthening our bilateral cooperation and people-to-people linkages, he added. The External Affairs Minister also met the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea, Cho Hyun, on the sidelines of the summit and discussed cooperation in automotive, electronics, semiconductor, defence and shipbuilding sectors. Delighted to meet @FMChoHyun of RoK, on the sidelines of ASEAN meetings in Malaysia. Appreciate the deepening of our Special Strategic Partnership. Discussed

Thailand-Cambodia sign peace deal, pledge stability in presence of Trump

The agreement dubbed 'KL PEACE Accord' was signed by Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and his Cambodian counterpart, Hun Manet

We aim to conclude Asean-India trade deal this year: Malaysian PM

The comprehensive strategic partnership between India and the ASEAN grouping is emerging as a powerful foundation for global stability and growth amid uncertainties, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday. In a virtual address at the India-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) annual summit, Modi reaffirmed New Delhi's strong support to the grouping's centrality in the Indo-Pacific. ASEAN is considered one of the most influential groupings in the region, and India and several other countries, including the US, China, Japan and Australia, are its dialogue partners. Malaysia is hosting the annual ASEAN summit and related meetings in Kuala Lumpur in its capacity as the current chair of the grouping. In his remarks, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said there has been "some real progress" in the ASEAN-India Trade in Goods Agreement (AITIGA) and that the grouping wants to conclude it by this year. Modi declared 2026 as the "ASEAN-India year of maritime cooperation".

Trump begins Asia trip; eyes talks with China's Xi, Malaysia trade deal

President Donald Trump headed for Asia for the first time this term, a trip where he is expected to work on investment deals and peace efforts before meeting face-to-face with Chinese President Xi Jinping to try to de-escalate a trade war. I think we have a really good chance of making a very comprehensive deal, Trump told reporters traveling with him on Air Force One. He said he plans to discuss fentanyl trafficking with Xi, as well as China's lack of soybean purchases from the United States. "I want our farmers to be taken care of. And he wants things also, Trump said. The Republican president is using the trip to try to advance his diplomatic bona fides after recently brokering a ceasefire and hostage agreement between Israel and Hamas. During a refueling stop in Qatar on his long-haul flight to Malaysia, Trump met briefly aboard his plane with the ruling emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. Trump said they talke

Congress claims PM Modi not going to ASEAN summit to avoid meeting Trump

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi unlikely to travel to Malaysia for the ASEAN summit, the Congress on Thursday claimed that the reason for his not going was that the PM doesn't want to be cornered by US President Donald Trump. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said posting messages in praise of President Trump on social media is one thing, but to be seen hobnobbing physically with the man who has claimed 53 times that he stopped Operation Sindoor and has claimed five times that India has promised to stop buying oil from Russia is far too risky for him. "For days the speculation has been - will He or won't He? Will Mr. Modi go to Kuala Lumpur for the Summit or not?" Ramesh said on X. "Now it appears certain that the PM will not go. It means the loss of so many opportunities to hug and get photo ops with world leaders or to flaunt himself as the self-styled Vishwaguru," the Congress leader said. "The reason why Mr. Modi is not going is simple. He jus

PM Modi to virtually attend Asean Summit, says Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim

Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim said PM Modi informed him over a call that he would attend the 47th Asean Summit virtually as Diwali celebrations continue in India

Malaysia says PM Modi to attend East Asia summit; MEA yet to confirm

Malaysia confirms PM Modi's attendance at the East Asia Summit starting October 26, but India's Ministry of External Affairs remains non-committal on his travel plans