Malaysia: When disgraced former prime minister Najib Razak began serving 12 years in prison on Tuesday after losing his final appeal to overturn a corruption sentence linked to a former unit of scam-tainted fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad, Catharsis was probably the best approach. Describe how many Malaysians felt (1MDB). For Najib, who now has the dubious distinction of being the country's first former prime minister to be imprisoned for a criminal offence, the verdict was long in coming.
Many Malaysians were on edge during four years of dramatic legal wrangling over his case, which involved the transfer of 42 million ringgit (US$9.4 million) from former 1MDB subsidiary SRC International to his personal accounts. Delayed by Covid-19 and due to injuries, his lead lawyer claimed he persisted among other things while playing with his dog.
Public reaction to the decision was swift and intense on social media, and it persisted for the next few days, as Malaysians outraged by claims that corruption had funded the lavish and extravagant lifestyle that Najib and his family had been living for years. was enjoying from, felt right by. Supreme Court's decision.
National crook," @Hasif225 tweeted, retweeting a photo of Najeeb being taken by the prison warden to a Kuala Lumpur court directly for a separate trial related to 1MDB. Najeeb appeared in handcuffs. Critics and the opposition swiftly hailed the decision as a victory for the nation and Malaysians in the fight against abuse of power and corruption, which has long been attributed to Najib's former ruling Umno Party and the Barisan National Coalition.
Leader of the Opposition Anwar Ibrahim said the 2018 national election marks a turning point in the fight against corruption. He himself served two separate terms in prison for sex and corruption, allegations he and his supporters claim were politically motivated. "He stood up for a regime of radicals who had become so accustomed to winning that they failed to feel the rising tide of anger and resentment against them," Anwar said in his keynote address at a stage on Thursday.
In response to widespread corruption claims amid public outcry over 1MDB and rising living costs, Malaysia experienced its first change of government in the 14th general election, a turning point for the country.
In the lead-up to those elections, Najib's mentor Mahathir Mohamad claimed that billions of dollars had been stolen from 1MDB. He left the party he had headed 22 years earlier to support Anwar's Pakatan Harapan (PH) opposition coalition and eventually won a second term as prime minister.
The SRC case is just the beginning.
Since Malaysia's change of leadership in 2018, there have been more investigations and allegations of corruption against prominent politicians than at any other time in the country's history. Najib has been indicted as well as four additional trials that are directly linked to 1MDB. All wrongdoings have been denied by him. In Malaysian Borneo's Sarawak state, a 1.25 billion ringgit (US$279.2 million) solar power project for rural schools is the subject of Rosmah Mansour's own corruption trial. The High Court is likely to give its verdict in this matter on September 1.
The Supreme Court's decision to uphold Najib's sentence, according to the Center to Combat Corruption and Cronyism (C4 Centre), is a testament to the "strength and independence" of Malaysia's judiciary and shows that there is hope for justice, at times hopeless. Whistle-blowers and advocates who have fought for years to free Malaysia from the scourge of corruption, despite the approach. In the most recent Corruption Perceptions Index published by Transparency International, Malaysia is ranked 62nd out of 180 countries.
In addition to Najib, at least six other Umno leaders, including the organization's president at the time, Ahmed Zahid Hamidi, are being tried on charges of corruption, money laundering, abuse of authority and criminal breach of trust.
In the opposition camp, Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, the charismatic leader of Muda, a youth-focused party, and Lim Guan Eng, leader of the Democratic Action Party, are both currently on trial in separate corruption cases. The corruption accused claim that they are victims of political witches on both sides of the aisle. The C4 Center warned that given the numerous allegations of corruption against Najib, particularly during his nine years as prime minister, the SRC International case may only be just beginning.
Using the Malay word for citizens, the Center said in a statement on Tuesday, "As we continue our fight against corruption and abuse of power, we must keep in mind that victory can only come through the collective effort of the Rakyat." Is."
Proverb "Justice deferred is justice denied"
Mahathir was less optimistic about how far they were other corruption trials would advance because he had mentored both Anwar and Najib before turning against them. Anwar was sentenced to his first prison term for corruption and sodomy, which were later thrown out, when Mahathir was prime minister. Mahathir also served as prime minister when Najib was accused of corruption. The 97-year-old warned that Najib's alleged use of delay tactics during his SRC International case had invariably caused delays in other cases involving his party members. The 97-year-old was accused of weakening the judiciary during his first term as prime minister between 1981 and 2003.
In his four remaining trials, Mahathir predicted Najib would use "all sorts of excuses" to stall court proceedings, further impeding the administration of justice. There have been numerous reports filed recently about significant corruption cases that have not yet been tried in court. The likelihood that criminals will escape punishment for their crimes is very high, Mahathir wrote in a blog post on Wednesday. According to the English proverb, "justice delayed is justice denied," this is true.
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