YOURSAY | After four long years, justice is at hand

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The Economist: Agong mustn’t pardon “brazen kleptocrat” Najib

A scathing editorial by weekly British newspaper The Economist has cautioned against a “horrifying turn of events” that would see since-jailed former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak making a comeback.

“Not only would it set Malaysia back on a path to looting disguised as politics (but) it would also signal to kleptocrats everywhere that there is always a way out,” the influential paper said in a letter in its “Leaders” section on Saturday (Aug 27).

It added: “A man whose guilt has been so clearly and meticulously established, and upheld by several courts, yet who has not shown any remorse or even admitted his crime, must not be allowed to walk free.

“It is hard to imagine a worse precedent for Malaysia and the world.”

The Economist also opined that Najib might be able to “wangle” a royal pardon, noting that the King has the power to expunge his conviction and the two “appear friendly”.

The paper, however, urged Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Ahmad Shah to “stand by the apogee of Malaysia’s institutions” and not by his “felonious” fellow dynast.

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MP SPEAKS | Did Najib get a fair trial?

MP SPEAKS | Some Umno leaders led by president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi try to portray that former prime minister Najib Abdul Razak was not accorded a fair trial and a fair judicial process with regard to the SRC International-related charges against him.

This is far from the truth. The following explanations will help us to see that Najib was given a fair trial and a fair judicial process.

Judicial decisions based on facts and evidence

Judges make decisions based on facts and evidence adduced in court.

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Netizens fume after Nizar Najib compares dad’s “struggles” to Nelson Mandela’s

SOCIAL media users are up in arms over a son of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s comparison of his father’s imprisonment to that of anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela’s struggles.

Earlier today, Malaysiakini quoted Datuk Mohd Nizar Najib as saying the Pekan MP would “rise above” his “challenges” just like Mandela and Prophet Yusuf did.

Yusuf was framed on a false charge and eventually elevated to a minister of ancient Egypt after he was released, while Mandela went on to become the South African president after he was jailed for opposing apartheid.

“One thing for certain – God will not test his believers more than what they can take,” Nizar reportedly told the Solidarity for Najib event in Pekan, Pahang, yesterday (Sept 5).

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What lies ahead for Najib?

AFTER the Federal Court’s move to dismiss the final appeal of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak in the SRC International case, the right to appeal ends because of the simple principle of finality in decisions.

Hence, Najib who was sentenced to 12 years in jail and a fine of RM210 mil served his first day in jail on Aug 23, when his appeal was dismissed.

On Sept 5 Dewan Rakyat speaker Tan Sri Azhar Harun said the former premier has filed a petition seeking a royal pardon for his conviction in the SRC International case.

In a statement, Azhar said Najib filed the petition on Sept 2. This is within 14 days of the Federal Court’s reaffirming of his conviction in the case. This means that Najib remains the Pekan MP.

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Royal pardon should not be the ultimate reason to free Bossku from jail

DISGRACED ex-premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak deserves to serve his jail sentence as provided by the law for the political, economic and psychological scars that he had inflicted on Malaysia during his nine-year tenure helming the country.

Commenting on the petition seeking a royal pardon filed by Najib for his conviction in the SRC International case yesterday (Sept 5), veteran journalist and blogger Datuk A. Kadir Jasin said nobody should be allowed “to play with fire and make a mockery of the law and power”.

“The incarceration of Najib, the prison sentence meted out on (his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and (Tan Sri) Mohd Isa Abdul Samad as well as the trial of other high profile corruption cases are not reasons for us to rejoice,” he insisted.

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Royal pardon not befitting Bossku, 12 years is already a bargain

Charles Hector

TO a great degree, ex-premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak should be counting his blessings that he only has to serve a dozen years behind bars for his maiden graft-related conviction (he still has four more 1MDB-linked cases pending) given he was originally sentenced to a jail term of 72 years.

But like it or not, Lady Luck was with him as the Kuala Lumpur High Court which meted out his sentence in the RM42 mil fund embezzlement case pertaining to SRC International Bhd ruled that his sentence was to run concurrently.

Having said that, the end result is that he could walk out a free man five decades earlier.

Hence, news about Najib who stands out with the moniker Bossku among his supporters filing a petition seeking a royal pardon for his conviction leaves a bad taste in Charles Hector’s mouth.

The lawyer-cum-human rights advocate/activist is concerned over the prospect of the Pekan MP walking out of the Kajang Prison “in months if the King grants him a pardon”.

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Battle of petitions: more want royal pardon denied to Najib

KUALA LUMPUR – An online petition urging the Yang di-Pertuan Agong not to pardon Datuk Seri Najib Razak for his SRC International corruption conviction has obtained more than 121,000 signatures, while a counter-petition appealing for a royal pardon for the jailed former prime minister has only garnered over 32,000.

The petition against a royal pardon for Najib by the Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (Bersih 2.0) had collected 121,738 signatures as at press time, since it was initiated two weeks ago following the Pekan MP’s imprisonment after the Federal Court on August 23 upheld his 12-year jail sentence in the SRC International case.

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