AirAsia boss Tony Fernandes on Sunday apologized for a controversial stunt endorsing the scandal-tainted prime minister, at the time Najib Razak, before Malaysia’s general election, in which he suffered a stunning defeat. Fernandes said he came under pressure from Najib’s government before the vote, causing him to issue a video enthusiastically crediting its policies for the success of the home-grown low-cost carrier. Fernandes was strongly criticized online for the stunt endorsing Najib, who has been linked to a multibillion-dollar corruption scandal involving Malaysian state fund 1MDB. The new government slapped Najib with a travel ban on Saturday as speculation mounted he was about to flee the country in a bid to avoid prosecution over the 1MDB scandal.