PN can't be blamed for sentences handed out by court, says Najib

CORONAVIRUS | Former premier Najib Abdul Razak said that the Perikatan Nasional government was not involved in the sentencing of B Lisa Christina.

In a Facebook posting, Najib said while he sympathised with the single mother who was initially sentenced to 30 days in jail, later changed to a RM1,000 fine, it was not a political issue.

"Those in Pakatan Harapan who want to turn her sentencing into a political issue should know the truth.

"First, it's not the Perikatan government that sentenced her. It's the judge. Different judges, different sentencing based on their discretion.

"Second, the Perikatan government had never changed any judge or amended the law since Harapan collapsed.

"The chief judges were changed and appointed when Harapan was in charge," he said.

Lisa was initially sentenced to 30 days in jail for violating the movement control order (MCO).

She ended up spending eight days in jail before the High Court allowed her review application and replaced the jail sentence with a RM1,000 fine on April 29.

She claimed that other prisoners, who were only sentenced to 14 days jail, had bullied her when she was in jail.

When Lisa was released from jail, she became even more outraged and dissatisfied when she found out that Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi's daughter Nurulhidayah and her husband were only fined RM800 each for the same offence.

Najib pointed out that it's the judiciary who has to explain the difference in the sentencing. - Mkini