Malaysia's top court on Thursday refused to allow ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak's new lawyer to withdraw from his graft case linked to the looting of the 1MDB state fund, preventing a possible delay in his final appeal.
It was another blow for Najib after the Federal Court on Tuesday rejected his bid to quash his conviction and 12-year prison sentence by alleging judicial bias. The court also dismissed attempts by Najib's new defense team, appointed just weeks earlier, to postpone the appeal by three months and ordered hearings to begin Thursday. The court said the team should have been ready to appear at the agreed date when it took on the case.
