Rafizi was convicted of violating the country's Official Secrets Act by revealing parts of an Auditor-General's report into the scandal swirling around the state-owned fund 1MDB. Prime Minister Najib Razak is fighting allegations that billions of dollars were looted from 1MDB, which he founded in 2009. The Auditor-General's report had been declared a state secret by the government, drawing accusations from critics that the unprecedented move was part of a cover-up. Rafizi, a parliament member and vice-president of the opposition Parti Keadilan Rakyat (People's Justice Party) plans to appeal. Human Rights Watch said Rafizi's conviction "can have only one purpose: to intimidate whistle-blowers into silence over the 1MDB corruption scandal".

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 14, 2016 09:58 UTC