Rhino:  Agencies – Kuwait’s Court of Cassation on Thursday upheld a ruling that sentenced a member of the ruling family, the son of a former prime minister, his partner and two expatriates to 10 years in prison and a lawyer to seven years on money laundering charges in the Malaysian fund case, three sources told Reuters.

It also ordered the five defendants to repay $1bn and fined them jointly 183 million dinars.

Lawyer Fawaz al-Khatib told Reuters that this judgement is final and definitive.

He added: “This judgement has become a title of truth and there is no other normal means of appeal against it.

Malaysian and US investigators estimate that around $4.5bn has been misappropriated from the fund since it was established in 2009, implicating former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak, Goldman Sachs employees and senior officials in other countries.