Najib Abdul Razak insinuated that his political rivals from Perikatan Nasional (PN) orchestrated the move to petition the Yang di-Pertuan Agong to pardon him.
In a Facebook post this afternoon, the former premier noted how a particular news portal had featured the event live on its website.
Najib, who insisted on clearing his name through the court process, described the news portal, which has been linked to a federal minister, as the ruling government’s mouthpiece.
“I am grateful to the NGO for their concern but I have never communicated with them and was not informed about their petition to the palace this morning.
“Let me reiterate. I want my cases to go through a fair and transparent legal process because it is the sole avenue for me to clear my name.
“I do not want the charges to be dropped nor do I seek political interference in the matter.
“I am confident that I am innocent.What is the need for a royal pardon when I am innocent?” he added.
The former premier ended the post with the “berani kerana benar” catchphrase, which is often used by Pakatan Harapan politicians.
In its petition to the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the group - Pertubuhan Sahabat Ulul Amri Malaysia (PSUAM) - said the pardon would allow Najib to become prime minister again on an interim basis.
Meanwhile, a source close to Najib claimed that the latest development was in line with PN’s claim that Umno’s rejection of Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is because some of its leaders wanted their respective cases to be dropped and that the party is power crazed.
However, he claimed that the real reason for Umno’s stand is because the current government is more concerned with devising strategies to remain in power instead of battling the Covid-19 pandemic and rescuing the nation’s economy.
“As a result, the government committed many fatal and unforgivable mistakes, making Malaysia among the nations with the highest number of new cases and deaths per capita.
“The political instability that has existed since GE14 can only be solved by returning the mandate to the people via fresh polls after we have achieved herd immunity.
“There is no guarantee that Umno will win or do well in the polls,” he added.
In the wake of Umno lawmakers aligned to party president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Najib withdrawing their support for him, Muhyiddin said that certain quarters wanted him to interfere in court matters.
The prime minister also said he would let lawmakers decide on his fate through a motion of confidence in Parliament.
On July 7 last year, the High Court found Najib guilty of abuse of power, criminal breach of trust, and money laundering with regard to RM42 million in funds originating from the government-owned SRC International Sdn Bhd.
The Court of Appeal has yet to deliver a verdict on the former premier's appeal.
Najib is currently facing a similar trial at the Kuala Lumpur High Court for misappropriating RM2.6 billion from another government-owned company 1MDB Bhd.
He is also facing a trial for allegedly tampering with a government audit report on 1MDB whereas the The Inland Revenue Board is seeking RM1.69 billion in tax arrears from him. - Mkini
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