RAIS SANIMAN devoted his life to promoting the economic prosperity of his native Malaysia and working for racial harmony within its borders, the High Court heard.
The son of illiterate parents living in a humble village, Saniman, 60, rose to become a talented economist with an international reputation.
But his determination to succeed with plans to earn vast profits for the Bumiputra bank were ultimately to lead him into crime, destroy his career, and leave his life in ruins.
His barrister, Martin Thomas QC, said: 'No one has fallen further from a position of esteem which was justly earned through public services for his country, his people, and in the international context.' Saniman was born in the Perak region of Malaysia. He obtained his first degree from the University of Singapore and then won a scholarship to work as a trainee with the International Monetary Fund in Washington.
His thesis was on money supply in Malaysia.
Saniman spent seven years in America. He turned down a place at a Canadian university because he wanted to return to Malaysia.