A global corruption watchdog has hailed Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's war against graft, after a senior politician was sentenced to jail for bribery, a report said today.

Azman Mahalan, 63, a former Perak state executive councillor from the ruling Umno and a strong supporter of Abdullah, is the first politician to be sentenced to jail under the campaign.

Transparency International said Abdullah had done a "good job" in his battle against corruption, which has dogged the ruling party.

"We always stress that leadership is essential in fighting corruption, so we are delighted that Abdullah has made curbing corruption a priority issue for his administration," its Asia-Pacific director Peter Rooke told the New Straits Times.

Abdullah, who took over from Dr Mahathir Mohamad in October last year, has declared the fight against corruption to be a top priority.

Important decision

Azman, who has been active in politics for 20 years, was sentenced to two years' jail and fined RM35,000 by a court in Perak Monday. He remains free pending an appeal to the High Court.

A court found he had paid a contractor RM2,000 so that he would not settle a debt with a former Umno district chief, who as a result remained officially a bankrupt and was unable to contest a top post against Azman.

Azman's sentencing marks an important step in the anti-graft campaign, which early this year had been criticised as moving too slowly.

But the tide turned in June when Umno shocked the country by suspending cabinet minister Isa Samad for six years for buying votes in internal leadership elections last year.

Others who have been charged for graft since Abdullah took power include former lands and cooperative development minister Kasitah Gaddam.

The former head of troubled steel giant Perwaja, Eric Chia, has also been charged with embezzling RM76.4 million.