Kadir Jasin: Najib could be dragged to court
DPM has the power to do something to bring closure to allegations of corruption against Najib Razak in relation to 1MDB.
(Free Malaysia Today) – The possibility that Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak could be dragged to court in the wake of the allegations against him in The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) last Friday, said a former veteran newsman, cannot be ruled out. “Attorney General (AG) Abdul Gani Patail’s recent statement appears to indicate that there’s evidence of Najib’s involvement.”
The burden on Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin would be equally great as he has the power, in the face of the evidence which he’s privy to, to do something to bring closure to the matter.
“Muhyiddin needs to be brave and firm if he wants to help save the nation from a crisis of confidence, and restore its image. The state of the economy and the welfare of the people are at stake,” said former New Straits Times Group Editor in Chief Kadir Jasin.
There are other indications as well, pointed out Kadir, in the joint statement by the Task Force and signed by Gani Patail, Bank Negara Governor Akhtar Aziz, Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar, and Abu Kassim Mohamed, the Chief Commissioner of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). “This is no ordinary press statement.”
“This is about the freezing of six bank accounts of those believed to be related to Najib’s account. It indicates that the accounts referred to by WSJ do exist.”
The question is whether the AG would bring those involved, including Najib, to court,” continued Kadir. “Already, the existence of the Task Force of so many agencies prevents the possibility of it being influenced, unlike if they had acted on their own separately.”
“The AG’s burden is great as the information with him would also be with the other investigating agencies like the police, MACC and Bank Negara.”
The AG would have a difficult time convincing the other members of the Task Force if he decided to drop the idea of pressing charges against the prime minister. “The investigating officers would also lose heart after having energetically collected the evidence,” he said. “They would not want to be accused of being in cahoots with any party or being inefficient.”
An additional factor to keep in mind, he stressed, was the fact that the same information had already leaked out and was in the hands of third parties including the foreign media. “If Najib isn’t charged although there’s evidence against him, the whole world would be laughing at us,” said Kadir. “It would show that we are not serious about combating corruption especially in high places.”
