PETALING JAYA: Datuk Seri Najib Razak says that video footage of his trial that was uploaded on Facebook is an “official recording” from the court and claims that it does not fall under the Official Secrets Act (OSA).
The former prime minister said that the footage was from the court’s closed-circuit television (CCTV), not an illegal recording and that the court’s proceedings were open to the public.
“The recording does not fall under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and it was also distributed to local and international media houses,” he claimed.
“Governments in other countries such as Canada, India, United Kingdom, the USA and Australia also show live telecasts of court proceedings as they want the public to witness the decision and trial,” he said in a Facebook posting on Tuesday (April 23).
The Pekan MP, however, said that the Pakatan Harapan government had the authority to investigate and prosecute whomever they want.
“Be it as it may, I hope the government will take action in prosecuting several other cases before deciding to purse this latest case.
“I am worried that Malaysians might have the wrong perception if the Pakatan government prosecutes someone who spreads a video clip with the intention of rectifying wrong media reports,” he said.
It was reported that police have opened investigations over a video recording of Najib’s trial proceedings that was uploaded on Facebook.
Kuala Lumpur CID chief SAC Rusdi Mohd Isa said investigations were made following a report made at the Batu 9 Cheras police station.
“The investigation was initiated under Section 203A of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998,” he said in a statement.
On Friday (April 19), a two-minute and 12-second video titled “The fifth day of Datuk Seri Najib’s trial” featured a recording of Najib’s lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah questioning a witness, which went viral on social media.
It was learnt that the recording was uploaded on the Facebook account of Najib’s former special officer, Isham Jalil – THE STAR.
‘Trial videos give false insight’
KOTA KINABALU: De facto Law Minister Datuk Liew Vui Keong is calling on court officials to take action against those who uploaded a video showing snippets of former prime minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak’s court case on social media platforms including Facebook.
Such recordings, Liew said, were not supposed to be shared on any media platforms without the consent of the chief judge.
“I was made to understand that his (Najib’s) defence counsel have obtained the permission to get video recordings of the proceedings from the court,” he said in Sandakan yesterday.
He said that from his understanding of the terms and conditions after obtaining such court recordings, one must get the approval of the chief judge before the recordings were allowed to be shared on social media.
Liew said the clip, which was obviously edited, gave false insight into what actually transpired in the courtroom.
The clip, lasting less than three minutes, which can also be viewed on YouTube, shows what seems to be a lawyer cross-questioning a witness on Najib’s house renovation works, among others.
Najib, who is also the former finance minister, is on trial for seven charges involving RM42mil belonging to SRC International.
In a Facebook post yesterday, Najib said he was worried that media reports would not portray the right picture of his trial to the rakyat.
He then asked that the government allow direct broadcast of the trial via Facebook Live.
On a different matter, Liew said he would be meeting with Sarawak Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg to further discuss matters concerning the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
Apart from fostering closer rapport with the Sarawak lawmakers, Liew also hopes to get them to understand more about the proposal to amend Article 1(2) of the Federal Constitution which, among others, aims to restore Sabah and Sarawak’s status as equal partners in the federation of Malaysia.
“We did not get the Bill to amend this Article passed in Parliament and most of those who refrained from voting were Gabungan Parti Sarawak MPs.
“I hope to meet them soon to help them understand what we are trying to achieve with regard to this proposed amendment,” he added.
Liew said he appreciated that the Sabah state assembly had taken the initiative to endorse the amendment of Article 1(2) of the Constitution and this gave a positive signal to the Federal Government on the Bill, which failed to get a two-thirds majority in Parliament on April 9.
“The unanimous endorsement by the Sabah politicians, regardless of whether they are in government or opposition, is a positive development for the pushing of Sabah and Sarawak’s rights and equal partners status pursuant to MA63,” he said. – THE STAR
THE STAR
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