Najib cites Anwar on 'flawed' probe, claims PM's remarks refer to his cases
Hidir Reduan Abdul Rashid
Published: Jan 7, 2025 8:22 PM
Summary
- Najib Abdul Razak relies on Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s Dec 21 remark to strengthen his claim that the RM2.27 billion corruption case he’s on trial for was politically motivated.
- Anwar had said that some high-profile prosecutions during then-premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s administration were rushed, flawed and tainted by venom and enmity.
1MDB TRIAL | Najib Abdul Razak has cited Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s remark that some investigations on high-profile figures were “rushed” and “flawed”, believing that the comments were in reference to his cases.
The former premier told the High Court this today during the trial on the RM2.27 billion 1MDB abuse of power and money laundering case against him.
The accused was referring to Anwar’s statement on Dec 21 that also described several high-profile prosecutions in 2018 as “tainted by venom and enmity”.
“I believe Anwar’s recent remarks on flaws in the prosecutorial process strongly validate my longstanding concerns about the legal proceedings against me.
“For six years, I have maintained that these proceedings exemplify rushed and flawed prosecutions.
“The charges against me relate to actions which I undertook during my tenure as prime minister and finance minister, which were official functions carried out based on professional advice and established governance protocols.
“These official actions have been mischaracterised to suggest criminal intent, a claim I categorically deny,” Najib told the High Court convened at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya this afternoon.
The former prime minister said that the parallels between his criminal case and Anwar’s were striking, as the prosecution in both cases sought to rely on factually impossible allegations.
In the 1990s, during Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s first tenure as prime minister, his then-deputy Anwar was investigated and hauled to court over alleged sodomy and abuse of power.
On Dec 21 last year, Anwar made the remark when asked by the media about the criminal court acquittal of Najib’s wife Rosmah Mansor.
She was acquitted of 12 money laundering charges and five counts of tax evasion.
The premier’s remark was about several high-profile cases initiated in 2018 during Mahathir’s administration.
Ex-PM Dr Mahathir Mohamad
However, Anwar did not mention whether he was also referring to Najib’s criminal case involving 1MDB funds.
‘Review prosecution against me’
During today’s trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, Najib said Anwar’s recognition of these systemic flaws is an opportunity for rectification through the Attorney-General’s Chambers and not through the courts, which must remain independent.
“I firmly believe this underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive review of this prosecution against me.
“Especially given that the charges against me were prepared even before my statement was recorded (by the authorities), which clearly supports the prosecution against me was from the outset tainted by venom and enmity.
“Taxpayers should not bear the burden of such prosecutions which ultimately debased our justice system,” Najib lamented.
He said Anwar’s statement resonated deeply with his concerns about selective accountability in the 1MDB case.
The accused ruminated on how, while he was charged in court, other individuals allegedly involved in the case escaped prosecution and were made witnesses against him.
Najib was referring to prosecution witnesses such as former 1MDB CEOs Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi and Mohd Hazem Abd Rahman, the fund’s former general counsel Jasmine Loo, and its former chief financial officer Azmi Tahir.
The accused questioned why Loo was made a protected prosecution witness despite allegedly being involved in wrongful transactions at 1MDB linked to fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho (Jho Low).
“The absurdity of Loo’s protected witness status is amplified by the fact that taxpayers are now footing the bill for her inclusion in the Witness Protection Programme.
“While the costs of this programme are allocated from the national budget by the Malaysian government, it is ultimately taxpayers, through income tax, corporate tax, services tax act, and other sources - who bear this financial burden.
“This raises an unavoidable question: why are taxpayers being forced to fund the protection of 1MDB’s (former) legal counsel Loo, who (allegedly) misappropriated hundreds of millions of dollars from 1MDB,” Najib testified.
The ex-premier claimed this was a glaring double standard, an absurd travesty, and a brazen miscarriage of justice, lamenting that taxpayers are ultimately forced to shoulder the cost of selective and manipulative prosecution against him.
Answerable case
On Oct 30, the criminal court ordered Najib to enter his defence over four abuse of power and 21 money laundering charges involving RM2.27 billion of funds from troubled sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.
Sequerah ruled that the prosecution succeeded in establishing a prima facie (answerable) case against Najib over the Minister of Finance Incorporated’s (MOF Inc) wholly owned company.
The judge ruled that Najib had to answer the charges due to the strength of the various 50 witness testimonies during the prosecution stage of proceedings that lasted six years since the trial began in 2019. The accused was first charged in 2018.
Since the prima facie ruling, Najib has been testifying in his defence against the 1MDB criminal charges.
Deputy public prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar prosecuted.
Lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah represented Najib.
‘Review prosecution against me’
During today’s trial before judge Collin Lawrence Sequerah, Najib said Anwar’s recognition of these systemic flaws is an opportunity for rectification through the Attorney-General’s Chambers and not through the courts, which must remain independent.
“I firmly believe this underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive review of this prosecution against me.
“Especially given that the charges against me were prepared even before my statement was recorded (by the authorities), which clearly supports the prosecution against me was from the outset tainted by venom and enmity.
“Taxpayers should not bear the burden of such prosecutions which ultimately debased our justice system,” Najib lamented.
He said Anwar’s statement resonated deeply with his concerns about selective accountability in the 1MDB case.
The accused ruminated on how, while he was charged in court, other individuals allegedly involved in the case escaped prosecution and were made witnesses against him.
Najib was referring to prosecution witnesses such as former 1MDB CEOs Shahrol Azral Ibrahim Halmi and Mohd Hazem Abd Rahman, the fund’s former general counsel Jasmine Loo, and its former chief financial officer Azmi Tahir.
The accused questioned why Loo was made a protected prosecution witness despite allegedly being involved in wrongful transactions at 1MDB linked to fugitive businessperson Low Taek Jho (Jho Low).
“The absurdity of Loo’s protected witness status is amplified by the fact that taxpayers are now footing the bill for her inclusion in the Witness Protection Programme.
“While the costs of this programme are allocated from the national budget by the Malaysian government, it is ultimately taxpayers, through income tax, corporate tax, services tax act, and other sources - who bear this financial burden.
“This raises an unavoidable question: why are taxpayers being forced to fund the protection of 1MDB’s (former) legal counsel Loo, who (allegedly) misappropriated hundreds of millions of dollars from 1MDB,” Najib testified.
The ex-premier claimed this was a glaring double standard, an absurd travesty, and a brazen miscarriage of justice, lamenting that taxpayers are ultimately forced to shoulder the cost of selective and manipulative prosecution against him.
Answerable case
On Oct 30, the criminal court ordered Najib to enter his defence over four abuse of power and 21 money laundering charges involving RM2.27 billion of funds from troubled sovereign wealth fund 1MDB.
Sequerah ruled that the prosecution succeeded in establishing a prima facie (answerable) case against Najib over the Minister of Finance Incorporated’s (MOF Inc) wholly owned company.
The judge ruled that Najib had to answer the charges due to the strength of the various 50 witness testimonies during the prosecution stage of proceedings that lasted six years since the trial began in 2019. The accused was first charged in 2018.
Since the prima facie ruling, Najib has been testifying in his defence against the 1MDB criminal charges.
Deputy public prosecutor Kamal Baharin Omar prosecuted.
Lawyer Muhammad Shafee Abdullah represented Najib.
Nothing flawed about the probe on the SRC case for which Najib is in jail now.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with Najib supporters us unthinkin Die Die support Najib
A liar will always remain a liar, a damn good one at that. There is not even one iota of regret in him or his sycophant followers on the harm he has wreaked upon our country. I truly hope that our current king will revoke his house arrest addendum and make him serve his term, already reduced under what reasoning, nobody knows.
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