Abdul Razak Baginda (born 1960) is a former political analyst from Malaysia, and close associate of the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. He became prominent in 2006 when he was charged with abetting the murder of a Mongolian woman. He was acquitted on October 31, 2008 when the Malaysian High Court judge found no prima facie case against him.[1] He continued writing while in prison, where he was remanded in custody and published a book on foreign affairs that was started during his incarceration.
Baginda, as he is often known, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in politics and government from City Polytechnic, London in 1982. He continued to study and gained a master's degree in War Studies at King's College London in 1984. He subsequently began a D.Phil in International Relations at Trinity College, Oxford, which he successfully completed.
In 1988, Baginda joined the Malaysian Armed Forces Defense College as a lecturer and eventually as the head of strategic studies. In 1993, he formed a think tank called the Malaysian Strategic Research Centre, which is based in Kuala Lumpur. It is responsible for the publication of many books on topics that include international relations, and such like. They regularly organise seminars on a myriad of local and international issues. He is also known to be an advisor to Najib Tun Razak.
Baginda has received a commission of RM3.7 billion for his role in a 2002 arms deal that resulted in a corruption investigation by French prosecutors in 2010.[2]
He is married to Mazlinda, a lawyer from Lincoln's Inn and former magistrate and they have one daughter born in 1987.