Anwar Ibrahim came to power in Malaysia soon after ex-PM Najib Razak was jailed for his role in the $4.5bn 1MDB financial scandal.

He has faced criticism after a royal pardon slashed Najib’s sentence while alleged 1MDB mastermind, Jho Low, remains at large.

Anwar leads ASEAN this year as it confronts Donald Trump’s tariffs and rising transnational crime, including a cyber-scam industry in Cambodia worth billions of dollars.

In a 101 East exclusive, Anwar Ibrahim speaks about politics and corruption in Malaysia and his conversations with Cambodia’s PM Hun Manet before the controversial deportation of domestic worker, Nuon Thoeun.