Najib, the Shinawatras and the Dutertes: what Southeast Asia's courts decided

Over the past two years, courts and official bodies in four Southeast Asian countries have issued decisions against some of the region's most prominent political figures. A former Malaysian prime minister received a second conviction and then a conditional royal pardon. Two Thai prime ministers were removed from office by judges in consecutive years. A former Philippine president is awaiting trial at the International Criminal Court, and Singapore's best-known opposition politician lost his parliamentary title after a criminal conviction.

This analysis sets out what each court or official body decided, when, and what remains unresolved. It covers verdicts, official decisions and formal court steps only. Where a case is still open, it is described as pending.

Malaysia: Najib Razak's two cases linked to 1MDB

Najib Razak was prime minister and finance minister of Malaysia from 2009 until his coalition lost the May 2018 general election. He launched the state investment fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, known as 1MDB, in 2009 and chaired its board of advisers, according to an Al Jazeera timeline of the scandal.

His first case concerned SRC International, a company that was once part of 1MDB. In 2020 the High Court convicted him of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust and money laundering involving RM42 million of SRC funds. He was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined RM210 million. The Federal Court, Malaysia's highest court, upheld the conviction in 2022, The Vibes reported.

In February 2024 the Federal Territories Pardons Board halved the prison term to six years and cut the fine to RM50 million. Malay Mail reported at the time that this set his release for 23 August 2028 if the fine was paid.

The second case concerned 1MDB itself. On 26 December 2025 the High Court in Putrajaya found Najib guilty on four counts of abuse of power and 21 counts of money laundering. Judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah sentenced him to 15 years in prison and fined him RM11.38 billion, five times the sum involved, The Vibes reported. The judge ordered that the new prison term begin only after the SRC sentence ends, and rejected the defence argument that the money was a donation from Saudi Arabia. Najib's lawyers filed an appeal, which has not yet been decided.

In September 2026 the King, Sultan Ibrahim, granted Najib a conditional pardon under which he would serve the rest of his SRC sentence under house arrest until August 2028 and pay the RM50 million fine, the national news agency Bernama reported. Bernama also reported that Malaysia has no specific house arrest law and that the cabinet had agreed in principle to draft one.

After a decision by the High Court in Kuala Lumpur allowing him to serve the remainder at home, Najib moved to his residence in the capital in November 2026. On 10 November Anthony Loke, secretary-general of the Democratic Action Party, a partner in Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's government, resigned as transport minister with immediate effect, citing the court decision, Malay Mail reported.

Thailand: three prime ministers linked to the Shinawatras removed by judges

Thailand's Constitutional Court has removed three prime ministers connected to the family of Thaksin Shinawatra, who led the country from 2001 to 2006.

His younger sister Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand's first woman prime minister, was removed by the court in May 2014 in an abuse of power case, CNN reported. In September 2017 the Supreme Court sentenced her in absentia to five years in prison over her government's rice-pledging scheme, according to Al Jazeera.

Srettha Thavisin, a property executive from the Pheu Thai Party, became prime minister in August 2023. On 14 August 2024 the Constitutional Court voted 5 to 4 to remove him for appointing Pichit Chuenban, a former Shinawatra lawyer who had been jailed for contempt of court in 2008, as a minister. The judges said Srettha had "grossly breached ethical standards", The Star reported.

Paetongtarn Shinawatra, Thaksin's youngest daughter, became prime minister later that month. On 29 August 2025 the same court ruled 6 to 3 that her term had ended. It found ethical misconduct over a leaked phone call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen during a border conflict, in which she called him "uncle" and described a senior Thai army commander as an "opponent", Al Jazeera reported.

Thaksin himself was ordered to serve time in prison. In September 2025 the Supreme Court ordered him to serve a one-year prison term and rejected claims about his illness, the Bangkok Post reported.

The court's decisions have reached beyond one family. In August 2024 it dissolved the opposition Move Forward Party, which relaunched as the People's Party. Anutin Charnvirakul of Bhumjaithai has been prime minister since September 2025, and Pheu Thai joined his coalition in March 2026.

The Philippines: Rodrigo Duterte at the ICC, Sara Duterte before the Senate

Rodrigo Duterte, president from 2016 to 2022, was surrendered to the International Criminal Court in March 2025 in a case arising from his campaign against illegal drugs, according to the court. In April 2026 the ICC's Pre-Trial Chamber I confirmed the charges of crimes against humanity against him and committed him to trial. That is a procedural step, not a verdict. The trial is pending and Duterte is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

His daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, has faced two impeachment efforts. In July 2025 the Supreme Court declared the first impeachment unconstitutional, and the Senate later voted to archive that case, the Inquirer reported. In May 2026 the House of Representatives impeached her again, BusinessWorld reported, describing her as a presidential hopeful.

Her Senate trial is pending and no verdict has been reached. The trial had run 31 session days as of 29 September 2026, according to the fact-checking group VERA Files, which also found that the House prosecutors presented evidence on three of the four articles of impeachment. VERA Files debunked social media posts that falsely claimed the Supreme Court had dismissed the case; it said the court had only ruled on separate petitions about procedure.

Singapore: Pritam Singh's conviction and the opposition leader's title

Pritam Singh, secretary-general of the Workers' Party, was convicted by the District Court in February 2025 on two counts of lying to Parliament's Committee of Privileges and fined S$14,000. The High Court dismissed his appeal in December 2025.

On 14 January 2026 Parliament voted to express regret over his conduct and stated that his conviction and conduct made him unsuitable to continue as Leader of the Opposition. Prime Minister Lawrence Wong ended the designation the next day with immediate effect and invited the Workers' Party to nominate another elected MP for the role, the Prime Minister's Office said. Singh remains secretary-general under the party's list of office holders for 2026 to 2028.

What the rulings say about accountability in the region

Taken together, the cases show courts in the region issuing decisions against former and serving leaders. They also show that a court ruling is rarely the final word.

In Malaysia, criminal convictions upheld at the highest level were later reduced by the Pardons Board and then converted to house arrest by royal decision. Clemency is a constitutional power that sits outside the courts. The house arrest has nonetheless become a political dispute inside the governing coalition, with a senior minister resigning over it.

In Thailand, none of the three prime ministerial removals followed a criminal trial. Srettha and Paetongtarn were removed on ethics grounds, and Yingluck's 2014 removal was an abuse of power ruling. The Constitutional Court has repeatedly decided who may hold the country's top office, while the Supreme Court has handled criminal liability in separate cases.

In the Philippines, the most serious case against a former head of state is being heard by an international court rather than a domestic one. The case against the sitting vice president runs through Congress, a political process that the Supreme Court has already checked once.

In Singapore, the sanction was a criminal fine followed by a parliamentary decision. Singh lost a title, not his seat or his party post.

The common thread is that formal steps have been taken in every case, but several outcomes depend on appeals, pardons or trials that are still running.

What to watch

• Najib's 1MDB appeal. The appeal against the December 2025 conviction is pending. The 15-year term is set to begin only after the SRC sentence ends, which under the pardon falls in August 2028.
• Malaysia's house arrest law. Bernama reported that the cabinet approved in principle the drafting of a House Arrest Bill. Its terms will show whether the arrangement applied to Najib becomes available to other prisoners.
• The Duterte trial at the ICC. The court has committed the former president to trial; the start of hearings is the next formal step.
• The Senate verdict on Sara Duterte. The impeachment court has not voted. The outcome matters for a politician BusinessWorld describes as a presidential hopeful.
• Thailand's coalition politics. Pheu Thai, whose leaders lost office through court rulings, is now a partner in Anutin's government.

Readers can follow the officials named here, and their current posts, in our officials directory, including the pages for Malaysia and Singapore.