COMMENT | On Dec 8, 2021, Najib Abdul Razak failed in his appeal to overturn his conviction and sentence involving the misappropriation of RM42 million from SRC International Sdn Bhd.

According to a news report, the Court of Appeal granted a stay of Najib’s conviction and sentence. Initially, I thought that only a stay of execution on his sentence was granted.

A “conviction” is a finding of guilt, while a “sentence” is the punishment imposed following a finding of guilt.

In criminal cases where the convicted person has an opportunity to further appeal the decision, the courts will commonly grant a stay of the sentence of imprisonment.

This move is only logical...